Hello, hello :D. Do you like water?
Good. Then you like 70% of my body ;).
I can strongly relate to people who like the sound of the rain. As a musician I think it is close minded to suggest that the only music we hear in life is played through musical instruments. I believe music exists everywhere and in everything, and the most notable musician of all is Mother Nature herself. It is her who plays the wind, that strums the rain and drums thunder.
I respect people who enjoy these "natural" sounds, I feel that they are closer to their roots. Fundamentally we live in a natural world quickly being overcome by artificial demons. High heels that keep women's feet high above the real ground, concrete roads that are built over earth, and artificial swimming pools that replace the ocean. Society has a way of desensitizing us from Mother Nature and even something as simple and beautiful as the weather can be twisted and manipulated into something less than it really is.
Take the weather man for example. It has become convention for television to forecast the weather and it is always denoted the same. A picture of a sun, a picture of a sun and cloud, cloud, rain cloud, thunder cloud. Although this next part may sound a little crazy, the weather channel is another example of how society limits our perception of reality by structuring weather into categories thereby having us fit our daily routines around what weather we see on the screen.
We are taught that a sunny day is a good day filled with opportunity. If it is raining for the next few days, we let out a disappointed sigh and if it is snowing then it will be the gossip of everyone in the morning office, because quite frankly, Britain isn't Alaska most of the time. In Britain people love to talk about the weather: it is a simple conversation starter it rarely backfires. More than this though, the weather is something that ultimately connects us all to our source: the Earth.
I feel that the attitude to mother nature is typical human arrogance. We talk about the weather in relation to our working lives but we rarely stop to appreciate it. Hehe, no, I am not talking about becoming a hermit who sits on a mountain and takes in nature (although I'm sure that this would make good people out of many :D). My point is to separate the weather from the artificial construct of working life. From cradle to grave the western world believes that the rain is misery and the sun is a blessing. In Africa, the rain is a blessing and the sun is a misery. It is all about perception. Yet there should be reason to why a cold and dank day is worse than a sunny and bright day. Or, why we believe that because it is raining there is more chance for negativity, or when it is sunny day it is a reason for happiness.
Instead of the weather being our friend or enemy, I feel that it should be more like our soul mate. Someone that we have arguments with, that we love some days and dislike on others but ultimately someone that we are able to learn from, and be inspired by. Simply stop and stare the next time you go out, and listen. Listen to the sound of the wind through the branches and leaves of the trees. Listen to the sound of the rain, take in the atmosphere of the fog as it looms over the street, get lost in the heat of the moment and just enjoy it more. The weather gives us a lot in this "natural relationship" and we rarely give it anything back. Again, we don't have to become a pagan or an ancient Egyptian to understand the true significance and power of mother nature and its untimely effect on human nature.
Films such as Day after Tomorrow, or 2012 explore the negative and cataclysmic side to Mother Nature but I also encourage you to see some visually beautiful films such as "Hero" or "House of Flying Daggers" that while pose as martial arts films capture the beauty of nature as a whole. Similarly some animated films such as "5 centimeters per second" use the metaphor of the blossom tree and snowfall to capture the deeper messages of today's article. Video games such as "Journey" and music artists such as Hidefumi will also help explain. All of these sources lends justification to worship of the elements and though modern society chooses to worship deities which are represented by men and women, I cannot help but admire other religions that take into account the cycles of the moon, or indeed have festivals based around the sun. Even Christianity's two major events: Easter and Christmas are based on two of nature's turning points and solstices, spring and winter: the time of new life and death. This is something for you to think about :).
And one final thing too. I was greatly inspired by the Acqua Di Gioia advert which can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhAiqIDuMKk . I love it for many reasons, the music is gorgeous ("Arrival of the Birds" by the Cinematic Orchestra), the model is beautiful, and most of all, haha, the product is not being sold by lust, artificial demons or glamour. It is using nature's law bringing back some sensitivity to the theme of this article.
I hope you enjoyed it :). Stay safe, and have a great day, whatever the weather it is still your day as well mine, so enjoy it for both of us.
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