The Philosophy of Having a Favorite Song
By: Tica Darius
Tags: Philosophy, Life, Culture, Social Justice, Politics

The Philosophy of Having a Favorite Song

And how it shapes the way we see the world.

The recent developments of 2020 managed to show just how shallow and cruel the human character is. Racism, xenophobia, religious fundamentalism, anti maskers with no regard for the health of the elderly and the vulnerable …

To me, this is just another variation of a mind-racking dilemma. I acknowledge the fact that dialogue, discussion, and compromise must be the building blocs of a functional society. But sometimes, when facing some surprisingly radical individuals, advocating mindlessly for the outright ban of gay marriage, for instance, one may wonder if this person will forever remain swayed in this direction.

If you have been in such a discussion, you know exactly what I mean.

The radicalism of their thinking, the willful ignorance of factual evidence and sound arguments are just some aspects that make dialogue seem to be a lost cause.

At this point, we sometimes even wonder if killing these individuals is on the table.

Not in the ‘then-and-there’ sense, but rather as a philosophical inquiry. After all, in a world where all notions of truth can be contested, even our very own existence, what grounds does ethics have to stop us? If nothing is inherently good nor inherently evil, how can we be labeled as criminals?

Even more so, if our deed is done within the scope of improving society for those subjected to its injustices, we would rather be tempted to say that we are, in fact, heroes.

This mentality is extremely championed in today’s world, not along the lines of justified murder, of course, but rather of legal interdiction, coercive restriction of rights, censorship, and so on. Just imagine having the authority of shutting down anti maskers right now, how much benefit would that create, getting us ever so close to the end of the pandemic.

However, even though the problem identified by this mentality is as valid as it gets, the resolution advocated for is wrong. To underline this, I will ask a simple question: were the actions of Adolf Hitler correct?

During the Nazi regime, the idea of exterminating ‘impure’ races was seen as noble and just, because its purpose was to create a better world. The same was true with communism and the Soviet Union, where enemies of collectivization and equality were killed in order to craft a Utopia.

Many of you might be very bothered by the fact that I made these comparisons, but they are 100% valid. The difference is that now, you don’t get to choose what is being killed for.

Interesting, isn’t it? When we decide the purpose, it makes sense, but when others do it, it does not. This is what we must keep in mind at all times. If we are willing to censor others or imprison them, for an ideological reason, we must be aware that we are advocating for the same to be done to us by another group.

In other words, the liberty to abridge liberty.

But how, then, do we get to solve all of these problems, if not by enforcing rules on those who create them?

Simple, remember that every person on this Earth has a favorite song. Counterintuitive, perhaps, but bear with me.

Those who commit acts of terrorism in the name of religion. They all have favorite songs.

The racist politician who growls for the deportation of immigrants in Parliament. He has a favorite song.

And those who gathered outside to protest the COVID-19 restrictions, they too have a favorite song.

Ideologies can often drive us away from understanding that all of us, no matter how evil in one narrative or the other, are ultimately human beings.

Human beings that have gone through tough moments and beautiful moments, who have loved and have been loved.

Whose houses were maybe torn down by war, or who found peace through religion after the death of their child. All of them have favorite songs, just like us.

Reaching the point of pondering over murder shows just how much we have fallen for the ‘good vs evil’ trap. Killing our fellow people, who have asked no more than us to be born into this world, is an atrocious act of enslaving one’s liberty to your will.

Instead, to respect the humanity of all people, we must understand that our liberties are already being bound to other tyrants, such as racism, homophobia, hatred, all under the iron fist rule of misinformation, and all contributing to a general sense of conflict.

Our real duty, as fellow humans, is to help our peers, strangers, and loved ones alike, see the world from our perspective, and to try to see it from their own. Understanding each other, as well as the importance of not robbing anyone of their liberty, is the first step that we must take into maturing out of 2020 as a real society, not just a warzone.

In the end, it is all just a huge Spotify playlist.