I’m curious: when you think of the word manipulation, what comes to mind? Do you think of a toxic relationship? Do you think of an intrusive salesman? Or do you think of the puppy eyes you used to give your parents when you wanted to have a piece of your Easter candy? (Maybe your parents just let you have at it—I wasn’t so lucky).
Currently I’m in my last semester of college, earning a degree in business, and you know what I’ve learned about business over the past four years? There’s a lot of manipulation in this world. You can ask Google what its definition is, but I’m offering this understanding of manipulation: doing something in order to get a specific response from another person that they likely would not have otherwise done.
The disturbing part about manipulation is that, when it’s done best, the person being manipulated doesn’t even realize it. So the fear is that you don’t have control and it’s legitimately hard to trust the direction of others at your risk. I would say manipulation has the potential to be real-life brain-washing.
Being that this is a blog about music, let me connect the dots. I think we can both relate to the power of music. When done well, the combination of lyrics and a melody heightens our emotions and makes us vulnerable to manipulation. It’s just in our nature; we’re heavily inclined to associate the lyrics and song concept with the exhilarating emotion that the song aroused in us.
That being said, manipulation isn’t all bad! Tell me, have you ever been wrong? I know it’s probably been a while since that’s applied to you, but think back to a time when you realized that you were indeed mistaken. Now what brought you to the realization that you were wrong? Was it the arguments presented by your counterpart? I doubt it.
Man, we have egos and preconceived notions that blind us from so much truth—myself 100% included. So I’m taking a guess that it took some form of third-party manipulation to help you realize your fault. Maybe somebody showed you grace and God used that to open your eyes to see the truth. Maybe you read something that really connected with you and that’s what brought upon your epiphany. Or maybe—get ready for this—you listened to a beautiful song that collapsed your defense and helped you see clearly.
Manipulation can orient us into just the right context that we need in order to see truth. Countless times I’ve experienced music having done that for me. Regrettably, countless times I have also had music manipulate me away from truth.
So, humbly I offer this to you: be mindful of what you let manipulate you. Sometimes that’s easier said than done and sometimes it’s just as easy to say it as it is to do it. As time goes on and you practice mindfulness, it’ll become easier. There are times when you’ll get in the car and think, “what do I need to be aware of right now?” and choose music that orients you appropriately. And there’s other times when you’ll be listening to music and then you feel the unexpected impact of its manipulation. In those scenarios, I’d encourage you hit the pause button and seek the truth of the matter without the emotional noise of the music.
Truthfully, this is my heart for Though The Noise. I really do believe that music has a deep impact on people and I want to help you find the songs that’ll leave the same positive impact that I’ve experienced. If you want to listen to any of my playlists, you can find them here on Spotify.
Listen deeply, my friend.