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"Don't let anyone look down on you because you
are young, but set an example for the believers
in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
1 Timothy 4:12

Youth Speak: Rock is Good! (cont.)
by Vanessa Abella

Second, most people listen to it for the deep lyrical content in the songs. Most rock songs contain profound meanings, exemplified by the use of powerful words or the intense emotion instituted in each song. Take for example a line from the song Schism by Tool: Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion between supposed lovers/brothers (No author, no year, http://www.toolband.com/album/index.html). This line entails that the feeling of indifference between two people prevents any act of showing affection or love towards one another. Indeed, it is unfathomable and full of meaning; just by one line, it has able to present reality in its concreteness, since this is true enough to happen in the life of every person on earth.

Lastly, rock music has a wide range of themes. It addresses almost every possible subject in its lyrics. There are artists who write protest songs about political and social issues by juxtaposing it with personal subjects. Bob Dylan and Rage Against the Machine were able to present this successfully through the lyrics of their songs. One concrete example would be Rage Against the Machine's rendition of MC5's song Kick Out the Jams, which is a protest song back in 1969. Moreover, there are other bands that talk about individual experiences of love, like Third Eye Blind and Incubus. Bands like Korn and Deftones articulate emotions like anger and hatred. On the other hand, Jars of Clay and P.O.D. talk about good values and preach their ethical beliefs in a proper way. There are many more controversial topics that are addressed by other rock bands. This just shows that not all rock bands concentrate on melancholic feelings. They try to expand their horizons so as to present as many subject matters as possible.

Since rock performers commonly express their significant personal experiences, it is natural that the listeners can easily relate with most of their songs. True enough, it is difficult to imagine being able to encounter important life events without one's favorite music. Individuals are able to identify their feelings and emotions with music, which in this case, is rock music. The process of being able to understand and relate with the musician's feelings produces good effects on the part of the listener.
First, one can acquire psychological effects from listening to rock music. When the listener considers rock music as a motivating force, the music serves as an inspiration for him to be able to accomplish what he wants or aims. There was even an account of a student who consistently gets high grades in school and is an avid listener of heavy metal, which is a branch of rock music. Also, this genre is a way of releasing the negative feelings and stress. As discussed earlier, this is done through the primal scream therapy. This is to ease the heaviness in their hearts and lighten up whatever depressing feelings they have.

Second, the individual can experience social or behavioral effects. Since the person has released his negative feelings through the primal scream therapy instituted in most rock songs, he is able to think positive thoughts in enhancing his interaction with other people. How can this be possible? As established earlier, the person has already released his angst. In effect, he is more capable of being optimistic and hopeful about his experiences. The person recognizes that he is not alone in undergoing pain and hurt. Through this, he is able to relate with other people in a good manner. Somehow, rock music is able to provide a support system of sorts through the rock songs. The songs create a world for rock fans where they can create a feeling of security. Moreover, since the individual was able to overcome his problems and difficulties, there is a renewed confidence. This is because the individual was able to move on and eventually surmount the complexity of life.

Lastly, rock music is able to give mental effects. One of these is being able to gain a profound way of thinking. As pointed out earlier, most rock songs contain deep lyrics. Through the depth and intensity of the words used in most rock songs, one is able to gain more insights a and different perspectives about a certain topic or subject matter. This, all the more, improves the intellect of a person by the much more challenging words used in most rock songs. One is able to expand his knowledge on vocabulary, language, and expressions.

In summary, rock music really is entertaining, aggressive and can be thought provoking. Due to such nature of this genre, most people conceive it as nothing but senseless and absurd. However, it is important to remember that rock music is not all about evil and demons. It is better to experience primal scream therapy than to verbally abuse a child or a spouse. It can be as therapeutic as drawing your knees up into your chest and rocking back and forth in a rocking chair.

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