I posted this in the Bar by mistake..........



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It’s interesting how if you want to get to know what someone is really like deep down inside, then bring up the subject of religion!

I’ve been in this group a number of years now and I thought I pretty much knew what everyone was about. Well, that changed real fast reading the replies here and reading Chas’s thread in the Bar. I can’t believe my eyes what I’m reading from people I previously respected. And, the reverse, I gained a lot of respect for those who I knew very little about.

Why on Earth is everyone so dogmatic with their views on Religion (or with their views in general)? Why is everyone so quick to take up arms? To defend? To argue? To debate? To belittle? To confront? To challenge?

Can someone answer this for me 'cause I certainly don't understand any of it?

I’ve never seen a “music” subject being brought up that attracted so much attention so quickly. And I’ve never seen a music subject spiral and spawn and inflame so rapidly and end up so far South you’d have to resurrect Lewis and Clark, equip them with a GPS and send them to Antarctica to bring it back.

I’m starting to wonder are some of the members musicians who need to “get stuff out” every so often or are they professional antagonists who happen to play music.

I can see how lucky I’ve been.....playing for almost 50 years now and doing nothing but playing music full time as a profession.....easily 6-7 days a week, oftentimes doubles, sometimes triples.....basically living my life “on stage.“ The only Saturday night I ever had off was when I took a vacation. Never took the time to argue with anyone or get into negative discussions or get deep into anything but playing music and entertaining.

I used to wonder often what it would be like not being on stage and just interacting with everyday people.....every day.....which is what I’m doing now that I’m burned out. Now I wonder how to get back “on stage” and away from toxic people and back to filling my thoughts again with wonderful (therapeutic) music!

(the last paragraph had nothing to do with SynthZone members and everything to do with people I encounter in everyday life)

I’m starting to see I, and others like me, carry the “musician’s curse!” Born with the sensitivity and emotional makeup you need to be a good musician but too much sensitivity to interact with those who have none!

Just felt like getting all that out. Cheaper than a psychiatrist’s couch!

Mark

I was quite surprised myself Mark. We have otherwise intelligent and rational men, sensitive and caring musicians at that, fighting, arguing, debating, and challenging each other over what is superstition and what is based on actual fact and science.

Politics, I believe, is probably as equal to religion in making a topic go south in a hurry, although I think the latter tends to get personal a lot quicker.

Strangely enough, a believer's religion is generally (but not always) the same as that of their parents (or based on where they were born), so if your parents were Mormons or Scientologists or Muslims, you'd quite likely be involved in one of those creeds.

Although I attended a catholic school and was baptized in that faith when adopted, I pretty well dumped all religious connections and was raised afterwards in a secular environment when my adopted Mum and Dad were killed in a car accident on christmas eve when I was nine.

I finally managed to escape alcohol and drug addiction at age 30 through a 12-step program (that "suggested" a belief in a higher power), and, although I was an agnostic during my recovery, I did very well and have never relapsed and do not intend to do so...one day at a time.

Playing music is probably the closest I get to meditation and living in "the now" and although retired from gigging, playing is still (and will continue to be) an essential part of my daily living. I still interact with others, but now it is mostly on-line and through Skype, although I still jam once a month (playing a Hammond B-3 & Leslie) with some friends and occasionally a guitar player buddy of mine drops by and we play some tunes where I am using the Tyros4.

I came close to "burning out" several times in my career but was lucky enough to have close friends ( a few from my old 12-Step days) who were there to talk to when I needed to share, and we all know a problem shared is a problem cut in half.

I guess I was also fortunate in that my playing was always for "me" first, and the listener second, so playing alone can still give me "the natch" or "Natural High" as it is more commonly called. My love of playing gets stronger and deeper every day.

Keep posting about your dilemma and keep sharing it with close friends, and you will quite likely get your answer, and will also quite likely realize you knew it all along, but it was too well hidden by your other thoughts. That's why sharing is so important...things look different when we get them down in print or vocalize them to another person.

Good luck and keep playing,

Ian

We are only human, good and bad .We all make mistakes.I personally like to discuss religion.I am not trying to force anyone to think the way I think.I do like to see how other people think about it.It's nice to see different views of people around our little planet we call home.Wether we are children of God or simply star children, usually we all make the same mistakes which makes us all the same human beings.I have to say about religion and science. I apologize to Nigel or anyone I offended .Religion and science are so far apart, but at the same time so much alike.If we take atomic power which was made by scientists. It can be used for good things and it can help human kind to harness clean energy and help lower pollution so our kids can breath better air and have better life in the future.But, it could also be used to to create most devastating bomb we can make.It can be our doom.
Also the same way religion mirrors our atomic power.It can be used for greater good , but it can easily be our H bomb.Maybe as humans we are too young or to stupid to understand both of them.Sooner or later we will have to.
Mirza