I was sitting around listening to music one day and the shuffle on my MP3 player happened to pull up “Dancing Through Life” from the Wicked soundtrack. For those of you who don’t know the song, it is sung by a ne’er-do-well. It is a satirical song espousing the benefits of living a superficial life. Its message, captured in a few lines, is:
Dancing through life
skimming the surface
gliding where turf is smooth
life’s more painless
for the brainless
why think too hard?
when it’s so soothing
dancing through life
…
woes are fleeting
blows are glancing
when you’re dancing
through life…
Needless to say, since this is a musical with a happy ending, the scamp eventually learns the error of his ways, becomes an intentional person, and goes on to be with the love of his life. I have to say that his lesson is mine as well. The best lesson I ever learned is that the water is much nicer beneath the surface.
People have an ability given to no other creatures on Earth. Whereas other creatures must live in the world they are given, humans are able to create the worlds they live in. We live lives of interpretation; there is nothing that simply is. Instead, everything exists as we perceive it. Though this has many consequences, the one I find most important is that we can live in a world of deep meaning, or a world in which superficial understandings guide one’s way. The sad reality of our society is that people are abdicating their rights to live intentional lives. Instead of choosing what they like, believe, or stand for, people allow others to decide what they will like, believe or stand for. It is time we took back the prerogative to be ourselves. In order to do so, however, we must admit that what we say and do and whom we follow matter. It is not an easy task, and there are consequences for not following the crowd. The song was not wrong when it said that “woes are fleeting/ blows are glancing/ when you’re dancing/ through life,” but it was wrong to suggest that ease is the measuring stick by which we should make decisions. The best lesson I have learned is the value of being me, walking my own path. Though the way may be harder, the vistas I have seen are majestic beyond description.