MY POLITIC LONELINESS
According to the band My Politic, there is nothing worse than to be lonely. Unfortunately, for many people, I think that’s a very sad truth. If you haven’t already seen the “Loneliness” music video, grab a tissue box. Now.
Go ahead. I’ll wait.
MY POLITIC LONELINESS
“Loneliness”, the latest single and music video off album “12 Kinds of Lost” from Americana band My Politic is a heart-wrenching, raw, and painfully real song that hits a little too close to home for too many people.
FEEL ALL THE FEELS
Despite the emotional devastation of the music video and song, there is an incredible beauty in “Loneliness”. With uncomplicated lyrics that tell a no-doubt complicated love story of tremendous loss and subsequent inability to recover, Appalachian instrumentation that beautifully compliments the fireside-storytelling feel of the song, and one of the most honest voices I’ve ever heard (in lead singer Kaston Guffey), “Loneliness” will truly make you feel all the feels. When Guffey sings, “You were gone / Now I’m alone / There are worse things to be / But right now I can’t think of one”, you can feel the depth of his sadness in your soul.
Man, just reading those lyrics feels like a figurative knife wound to the heart. Ouch.
If music is supposed to make you feel, then mission accomplished. Thanks, guys… now I’m cryin’…you’re cryin’… WE’RE ALL CRYIN’!
UNFORTUNATE RELATABILITY
Unfortunately, it seems we can all relate to loneliness. We’ve all been there. We’ve all felt the sorrow that accompanies the loss of a loved one. We feel lost and completely alone in the world without them.
And you feel like you will never be able to breathe again. But, somehow, you do.
Life goes on… even if you’re not ready.
AN EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS
But, “Loneliness” is more than a song. Sadly, it’s a painful narrative for millions of people in America and around the world. Did you know that loneliness is a public health issue and an epidemic?(1). Did you also know that empty nesters, the elderly, and individuals who are grieving are particularly vulnerable(2), especially around the holidays? Loneliness is a serious problem, you guys. And one in particular that we should all be thinking more about this time of year.
THE HOLIDAYS ARE THE HARDEST
How many people don’t have family, friends, or loved ones with whom to share the holidays? Who do you know that probably won’t get any gifts to open on Christmas morning? How many people will spend this holiday season eating meals and going to bed alone? So many things most of us take for granted. Please, try to put yourself in any of their shoes and ask yourself how would you feel (and cope) if all of those things seemingly disappeared?
THE IRONY OF LONELINESS
Interestingly, what is particularly effective about My Politic’s music video is its ability to illustrate the irony of loneliness. Simply because people may be surrounded by others, does not mean they are not indeed lonely. In the music video, we meet several people who are standing still amidst the hustle and bustle of downtown Nashville. The lights of Broadway shine upon hundreds of patrons walking by – good times seemingly enjoyed by all! But, maybe not? Minutes turn to hours and these people seem to go unnoticed. No one talks to them, no one asks why they are standing there, no one seems to care. The hordes of tourists might as well be ghosts, and the laughter and chatter that fills the street might as well be silence.
That’s because loneliness is not about quantity; it’s about quality. Proximity to other people is neither necessarily a preventative, nor a cure-all, for loneliness. We have to surround ourselves with meaningful relationships. We all need love and attachment.
TAKE AWAY MESSAGE
Please, for anyone who has been lucky enough to have never experienced loneliness, I ask you to take this song to heart. Chances are you have loved ones who may be suffering quietly on the inside, perhaps in less than obvious ways, and you have the power to help them.
So, don’t be afraid to make the first move, you guys. Got a friend you haven’t seen in a year? How about grandparents you only see around the holidays? Maybe you know a relative or loved one who is grieving? Reach out and offer your love and support. Make that phone call. Visit that person and spend some quality time with him or her. Little things can and will make a huge impact on the quality of people’s lives and happiness.
THANK YOU
And with that I thank My Politic for writing and performing this song. It is important for music to serve as a medium by which to share in the collective human experience. And like I said before, loneliness is definitely an experience with which we are all a little too familiar.
LET’S END ON A POSITIVE NOTE…
From your entire family here at Nashville Unsigned, we hope for you all to spend this holiday – and the rest of your lives – surrounded with love from family and friends. Savor every moment of joy and spread the love as much and often as you can!
A musician once said, “All you need is love”. I forget his name though…. I think he was pretty famous.
KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF MY POLITIC’S EMOTIONS
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REFERENCES (1)https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2017/10/04/this-former-surgeon-general-says-theres-a-loneliness-epidemic-and-work-is-partly-to-blame/?utm_term=.a806a7de7aec (2)https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/12/16/coping-with-loneliness-during-the-holidays/
