Does Singing Matter When the World Is on Fire?
Tell me if this sounds familiar.
You wake up, pick up your phone, open Instagram, and are instantly bombarded.
Another bombing.
Another natural disaster.
Another friend on the perfect vacation.
Another ad.
Before you’ve had time to wipe the sleep from your eyes, your heart and mind are overwhelmed.
The march of the world towards isolation and destruction and evil seems inevitable and imminent.
And you have to get up and sing today.
How are you supposed to do that when the weight of the world is crushing?
What’s the point of adding your voice to the deafening crunch of the digital world?
Why does any of it matter whenever there are so many insurmountable problems?
I’m not going to try to convince you that singing - even with perfect technique - is going to fix all of the world's issues (though it would be pretty cool if we could sing them away like some global Les Miserables sequel).
But using your voice can be a part of the solution. Here’s how:
The need to express ourselves is the defining characteristic that makes humans human. This has been true since we painted hunting scenes on cave walls and will remain true whenever we’re exploring galaxies far, far away. Culture is the foundation of our society, and, make no mistake, the evil forces in the world are very aware of this. They know that as they control the culture, they control the world.
And while this overwhelm may feel accidental, it’s by design.
They want you to be overwhelmed.
They want you to be numb.
They want you to drone along, scrolling endlessly, feeling so bad about yourself that you resign to scroll even more.
The less you feel, the easier you are to control.
They know that when people express themselves - in a piece of writing, or music, or singing- they possess the power to topple even the tallest of oppressors.
We’re not going to solve all the world’s problems with a song, but creative expression fuels our cultural motor — it reminds us what it means to be human. Every time you choose to express yourself, you are engaging in a powerful act of resistance against the machine of horrors. Whether that’s singing a song, grabbing coffee with a friend, playing a board game with your siblings - these are all ways we remember who we are.
They might seem small, but each one says: I’m alive. I feel. I’m still here. These small acts of connection, community, and love keep us from being reduced to empty vessels exploited by those that lust for wealth and power.
So take the voice lesson. Sing your song. Create something new.
Because the moment you stop is the moment we all lose.
The world is chaotic right now. But you deserve to feel it - ALL of it. Happiness, sadness, anger, fear, wonder, heartbreak. Because that’s what it means to be human. And the more you have the courage to express yourself - whether in song, in art, or in your everyday choices - the more our communities and our culture will resist forgetting that.
