Soundtrack of my Life

More than any other artistic medium, music motivates me, allows me to remember, comforts me and pushes me forward. Since I was young, I have clung to certain songs or artists as a way to encourage me or affirm my thinking, reminding me that I was not alone, but supported by thousands of others.

These are just a sampling of songs or voices that I have found integral to my place in the world. The power of the election of Barack Obama, the strong voice against the Bush administration and the Iraq War, the importance of religious inclusiveness and an understanding that my life and work is not complete without a vision of something larger than myself.

Music can reach the depths of a persons soul, make them cry out in sorrow, throw their hands up in joy, or shout with frustration. Reaching a person's most inner-self is the first best step towards action, change, or simple consideration of something new. Music, like many other artistic mediums, can so easily slip into a person's everyday life and change them with little notice. Is music an effective means of social change? Completely.