Couldn't figure out what to make my final post...

As I sit here, trying to figure out what I would be doing for my final reflection post, I noticed something interesting and peculiar. One of the students in the lounge is on a computer playing a game of chess (who doesn't stalk other people in the library/lounges around campus). Now this isn't weird in and of itself, it is actually beneficial for the brain. What made this situation unusual was the second window he had up, a youtube video showing him moves needed to beat the computer in a game of chess. Where has self-gained gratification gone? Can we only be fully satisfied if we cheat, even in simple life goals? Where did we go wrong to misunderstand that hard work provides more enjoyment and satisfaction when a goal is eventually reached? I can not honestly say that I am the hardest worker, nor that I have gone through life without benefiting from the original ideas of others. It is just difficult to understand why even simple games are taken advantage where a person would learn more by understanding the concepts and possibilities instead of defeating the opponent without knowing these things. Learning this improves critical and reflexive thinking and without these it is difficult to live and learn in the world today.

Dynamics in Music

What makes certain music more popular than others? Why do you like certain bands or genres that other people don't? Is music selfish? We can find popular artists tend to speak about a common theme or goal. Do you understand the lyrics or do you enjoy the rhythm or beat they express? The great part about music is its ability to cater to everyone. While I do not like certain artists, I don't brush them off because their music sounds "crappy" or their song is irrelevant to me. Creating music is about an idea and how you want to portray it. A person may not fully understand your idea and unfortunately this pushes many great artists into anonymity. As I have done before, many things that are not understood are immediately proclaimed to lack creativity and talent. As an example, I have previously jested at the images of abstract artists such as Cy Twombly and, in particular, his pieces that make up Fifty Days at Illiam.

This artwork is called Shield of Achilles and can easily be drawn by a five year old with crayons. The key to respecting artwork such as this is understanding the artist and the meaning behind it. Would you believe someone if they told you this painting, among others like it, is displayed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art? Going further, there is a room dedicated solely to this piece and the others in the same collection. I could go on with similar artwork and creative music, but such a topic can be discussed ad nauseum.

Fun Fact: A Classical Artist performed a piece of work that included playing a popular piece of music while having cats in the piano (which I was unable to find and link here). This same artist, John Milton Cage Jr., created a piece named 4'33'', pronounced Four, thirty-three, which contains three movements (thirty seconds, two minutes and twenty three seconds, and one minute and forty seconds) in which the performer is instructed not to play throughout all three parts. Take a gander at the meaning of that (there is actually a meaning, of course).