I am sitting here, in the middle of the night (it's 3:23 AM over here), drinking absinthe (again, but I'm not drunk this time ), listening to pretty crappy, but still enjoyable music (Saga). I change my signature back to what it used to be: the picture of my biggest hero, with his best quote: "Music is THE BEST". And suddenly I realize: This is TRUE. If there was no music, I think life would not be worth it for me. I would probably go completely crazy if I would become deaf. Most of my best memories are linked with music ('Yes I remember that pub in that holiday, we were listening to "..." by "..."'). I mean, what else can be as beautiful as the right music at the right time? A beautiful painting? A nice view? A fabulous building from the Antiquity?

Or maybe LOVE?

I haven't been in love for a very long time. I have very close friends, and I really love them. But to be IN LOVE, that's a feeling I haven't had for a long time. Have I ever been truly in love with another person?

And then another question comes to my mind: What if I had to choose between never finding true love or growing deaf?

...

What do you all think. Just HOW MUCH do you really love music?

P.S. I know this is a stupid, senseless question, but isn't LIFE also one big STUPID, SENSELESS QUESTION?

That's deep...

I would have to agree with you. Music is a major component of my life, and I don't know what I'd do without it. I like you would also going crazy if I went deaf and couldn't listen to or write music.

Damn, that was profound.  Music is extremely important in my life.  Truthfully, I don't think I could live through deafness.  But hopefully that will be correctable when I come to the time where I need to worry about it!

Sweetnighter wrote: Cygnus X-2 wrote: Which brings up the question: Would you rather be blind or deaf? what a dumbass question! what is this, a painting forum?!

well, soooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrry...

Joren wrote:   I haven't been in love for a very long time. I have very close friends, and I really love them. But to be IN LOVE, that's a feeling I haven't had for a long time. Have I ever been truly in love with another person? And then another question comes to my mind: What if I had to choose between never finding true love or growing deaf? ... What do you all think. Just HOW MUCH do you really love music? P.S. I know this is a stupid, senseless question, but isn't LIFE also one big STUPID, SENSELESS QUESTION?

I really like music, but I NEED love. Take away my hearing, and I will cope -- take away my loved ones, and you will crush my spirit.

Love yourself first -- become who you truly are, strive to rise to your potential, and love will likely find you. (Self confidence is VERY attractive -- pity is no basis for a real relationship.) You have to be worthy of true love to earn it, I believe.

Remember, young Joren, you haven't even been alive "for a very long time."  I yearned for love as a young man too -- loneliness seemed  as if it would last forever -- but it didn't.

Re life as "one big stupid, senseless question," find the intelligence and sense where you can (why not make some?), and learn to question it less, and LIVE it more. Our youth is full of questions, doubt, and despair -- give it time, my young friend, give it time. You won't make sense of it all, but you'll learn that you don't need to; you'll be too busy living and loving.

There's a new flower next to that dog turd. The ugliness makes the beauty all the sweeter!

Here endeth the lesson, Grasshopper.

Thus spake the toothless, wizened old fart with the twinkle in his rheumy eye, and his true love upstairs in bed....

Joren,

I like Peter's advice!

Music is probably the most important cultural interest/hobby in my life and prog holds some 90% of that space. But this hobby takes only 75% percent of my free or leisure time.

On the other hand Peter talks about liking yourself , and that is a damn good point. This does not mean that one has to become some conceited A--hole, but self-confidence is really important.

Women can smell from a mile away guys with confidence problem and tend to steer far away from them. Unfortunately most women seem to be attracted to the same 35% of males, because of this self-confidence thing. I am convinced that when a stranger woman looks at you for the first time walking in a room with your mate, she is first asking herself what your mate might see in you so that she is your partner. Then she will try to steal you away from her .

I was also in a rut in the late 80's, (could not even approach some pussy for about 18 months) and when confidence did come back, I managed to find a girlfriend, then women started taking notice because I was not trying to hard anymore, confident and therefore not even really looking for opportunities. Around the mid-90's , I would not say that women flocked around me , but more than a few of them hinted that... well you get my drift.

So feeling good about yourself is the main thing and looks (although important to a lot of women) are not that important either. A statuesque blonde woman is probably way too concerned about herself and the image she gives that she will only look at the look of their mates and the thickness of their wallet. But there are exceptions (Esmeralda and Quasimodo)!!

Life is still so long for you that you have togive tourself the time and avoid this competition BS (like the good ole"R'NR song says: My girlfriend is red hot and yours is doodley-squat, that is complete rubbish).

Feeling good and self-confidence will stop you from becoming a nerd while avoiding shallowness of hip-trendy lifestyle.

oeh guys, you go deep here!

Firstly, I would rather go blind, and then sell all my paintings (they are worth more than my cd's...just kidding..)

Prog has changed my viewing of live. The first prog cd I heard was 1984 by Wakeman. I cound't even hear it properly, let alone like it! But I found it interesting. And I compelled myself to listening to it! I pushed myself into understanding it. By understanding beauty at that level, it opens something in yourself, I think it changes you. I started creating Wakeman, and only Wakeman at first. I knew of nothing else until someone suggested YES to me. Nowadays I consider YES to be the One Band!

Prog is so challenging to listen to, it inevitably changes the way you look at yourself and thus your look on the world. It has me made more aware of who I am, and it has strengtened me. Prog has made myself into my own therapist at times!

I Love Music! I Listen to it Whenever I Can!

I Listen to Much More Music that Watching Television a lot more than tv!

I Can't Imagine Life Without Music Especially Prog!

Honestly, I don't see much point to life without love. Though it makes it simple when you love life- what's that like, by the way?

Music is love given shape, and a symbol of the true potential of mankind...by listening, we create significance, and by making music we offer others that same opportunity. Losing music would test my ability to find meaning and value in humanity, and I suspect I might not want to continue like that. On the other hand, the option of ending my life has occurred to me regularly for decades, and it's not necessarily music that keeps me going but the people (and animals ) who I love, and who I believe love me.

That's about as open and honest as I get...time to get back to Mariah to steady myself.

 Wow! Great to see so many responses!

First of all, this thread is NOT a cry for help, although I must admit that my post was a bit melancholic and dramatic.  I was just in the mood for a more serious thread.

Thanks for the kind words, Hugues and Uncle Peter  but I think I'm self-confident enough

And thanks all for your views on this. A very interesting subject...

Nice story, TBWART, about the same things happened to me, only my big discovery was Frank Zappa. And vert nicely put, Haas. And Jim: yeah, the fact that there is apossibility to lose all your CD's in a fire or something has always haunted me... that would be terrible...

Overall, most people think love is more important than music. But most of you forget (I'm glad James doesn't) that the most beautiful thing in life is the PHENOMENON that is...

MARIAH CAREY!  

Beautyfully said Mr. Lee!

Life, love, music, reading are my favorite hobbies and maybe in that very order.

I just wish this frigging western society would not be so commercial and competitive, though!

I hear you man... i find it hard to go a day without listening to music. It helps keep me going, and without id go absolutely crazy... i cant remember the last day i went without listening to any kind of music.

It is probably the most important thing in my life atm. listening, creating, sharing music.

Jim Garten wrote: Peter wrote: Re life as "one big stupid, senseless question," find the intelligence and sense where you can (why not make some?), and learn to question it less, and LIVE it more. Our youth is full of questions, doubt, and despair -- give it time, my young friend, give it time. You won't make sense of it all, but you'll learn that you don't need to; you'll be too busy living and loving. There's a new flower next to that dog turd. The ugliness makes the beauty all the sweeter Ah - the profound professor proposes personal progression; only in the Prog Forums can a lonely (if absinthe addled) soul find such solace across the oceans. Meanwhile, back on thread - I was watching a TV programme about bailiffs the other night, and they were saying the easiest thing to shift at public auction is CD collections; one sequence showed a very large bailiff counting a chap's CDs in preparation for possible sale in payment of fines. That made me look around at the 750 or so CDs in our collection, and made me wonder how I would feel should the unthinkable happen, and I were to lose them.... Alternatively (and this has been mentioned before), the horror of succumbing to deafness, and never again hearing music - sure, I guess you'd eventually learn to cope as Peter rightly said, but can you imagine the hole left in your life? +++shudders+++

I lived up to the end of the year in an area with a lot of burglary and I was sometimes quiet scared  :what if someone steals my favourite records. But then, when I changed to another flat I couldn't listen to anything for a couple of days and most of the time I was humming in the van and I realized that the the music I love is in my head and will always be there. I have never spent much money on hifi systems and the music I love the best I heard it on some cheap tape recorder and like Joren said I remember every single moment when I heard it for the first time and this is my real treasure.

I would not want to live without Love, Music & books & the cats- I have found my self confidence & am happy with me. All these things would not be possible without Jim (pass the bucket !).

The thought of the cd collection being taken would incite violence on my part - I am not joking. It is so important to be able to remember your milestones with a musical score.

As a man who has had to make the choice between my beloved CDs and eating, I must admit that I chose sustenance over pleasure.

I sold over 200 CDs. I had well over 700 at the time and I measured one against another. What should stay and what should go? Some hard choices. I have rebuilt my collection and purchased some of the same ones again, but I'm in a better place, physically and emotionally.

danbo wrote: As a man who has had to make the choice between my beloved CDs and eating, I must admit that I chose sustenance over pleasure. I sold over 200 CDs. I had well over 700 at the time and I measured one against another. What should stay and what should go? Some hard choices. I have rebuilt my collection and purchased some of the same ones again, but I'm in a better place, physically and emotionally.

We all seem to be damaged in some way.Does prog sustain us or cause the damage?

Many of the things i do are music related. I listen to CD's everyday, i play in my band, or simply by myself (it does sound odd with just a drum). I couldn't give up music. It may not be the most important thing in my life (although i couldnt tell you what was), it is one of the most important. Perhaps it is because I've never been "in love", i can't relate music and love. It woul dbe a hard choice to make.

But to answer the question, I really love music. It is a driving force in life. Without it, it is like withour water. you can go for a day without it, but if away form it for too long, you die.

Music is a very big part of my life, whether it be listening or creating it. But if I had to choose between music and love, I would have to give up music to true love. Finding a companion and stuff is a major part of my religion, and music couldn't make up for that.

But that doesn't mean I wouldn't miss music- I hate just thinking about no more music.... 

Music is my life.

Forget relationships... forget friends... forget everything... all I do is play/write/listen to music.

Whether it's in my band... a solo album I'm working on... helping other bands out... watching music dvds... it's all I do.

Prog, metal, jazz, funk, pop, classical... whatever... I love it all (Except all the trance/r'n'b stuff they play on the radio ).

However, one saying I heard somewhere which I really try to remember is... "There is a difference between being serious about music and taking music seriously."

Every band and every listener have total freedom of choice to listen to and do what they like. Ths is why... despite all you Dream Theater haters on here... you VERY RARELY hear me sl*g off another band or a persons musical taste.

Apart from that, I also like wrestling and comics.