” A moment felt as Eternity”(Forside maleri av Anna Maria Papadimitriou, foto Saatchy Art)
“Moment and Duration”, photo by janeriwaa
Bølgen som bryter mot stranden så havvannet spruter, kan minne om øyeblikket og evigheten. Mister vi kontakten med øyeblikket forsvinner det varige, og uten kontakt med det varige, underkaster vi oss øyeblikkets tyranni!
Livets uendelige korthet, – og lengde.
I et universelt perspektiv varer ditt og mitt liv bare brøkdelen av et millisekund. Likevel kan vi som unge føle at dette livsøyeblikket vårt nærmest er uendelig, med en lang rekke dager, måneder og år til disposisjon. Mellom disse to tidsperspektivenes ytterpunkter, føler nok likevel de fleste av oss, hvis vi ikke er alvorlig syke, handikappede, krigsrammet eller offer for dyp fattigdom, at livet er relativt langt. Noen svært gamle mennesker kan til og med føle seg såkalt “mette av dage”, og dermed lettere akseptere slutten.
Øyeblikk og varighet, fra Eline redder verden litt Blogg.no
– Hva bruker vi egentlig livet til?
Spørsmålet mitt her er hva vi bruker disse tilmålte dagene i livet vårt til? Det tas for gitt at vi skal overleve, lære kulturen vi vokser opp i å kjenne, gå på skole der det er mulighet for det, få venner, kjærester, og mest sannsynlig formere oss. I hverfall må de fleste av oss jobbe for å skaffe mat, husly og trygghet for våre nærmeste.
Utover den gitte rammen av forutsetninger og forventninger som familien og kulturen byr oss, har vi noen mulighet til å bidra med noe som ikke bare reproduserer oss fra den ene dagen til den neste, inntil døden stopper kopieringen?
Young woman using a copy machine (shallow DOF; color toned image)
Finnes det noen mulighet for oss til å reflektere fritt over tingenes tilstand, og etterhvert klare å bryte uheldige vanemønstre? Foreta en overskridelse av det som i dagens virkelighet er blitt et Vestens og deler av Asias “vanemonster”, som bringer oss som art, stadig nærmere stupet.
Stupet, foto Indreberg Gaard
– Den mest intelligente, men også stupide arten i dyreriket.
Livet på jorda er truet. Planeten som ga liv til urmoderen vår i en dal mellom dagens Kenya og Etiopia, for rundt 3.2 millioner år siden, lider tungt under det moderne menneskets livsstil og væremåte. Vi er den første art på jorda som truer artsmangfoldet som det har tatt universet 13.8 milliarder år å utvikle. Vi er den eneste arten nå, som kan redde kloden ved å endre oss selv. For hver av oss har rundt 85 milliarder hjerneceller vi kan føle, tenke og handle med.
Psykologiske refleksjoner rundt selvet i tiden.
Psychological Universe med sine “Psykologiske refleksjoner rundt selvet i tiden”, reiser altså det helt grunnleggende spørsmålet om det er mulig å få til en ny start i livet! En kursendring for selvet, som utgjør en forskjell for flere enn oss selv, selv om den helt store krisen og katastrofen ennå ikke har rammet oss. Spørsmålet reises om en slik ny start lar seg realisere gjennom bare det å stoppe opp midt i alle disse løpende aktivitetene våre, og i mylderet av informasjon og tilbud.
“For en lykke for regjeringer, at folket ikke tenker.” – Adolf Hitler
Rett og slett bare stoppe opp og begynne å undre seg, kanskje til og med re-tenke endel oppleste sannheter! Begynne å reflektere over alt dette, og ikke minst hvor vi selv egentlig befinner oss. Særlig bør vi spørre oss selv hvilke konsekvenser det vi driver med har for andre og livet på jorden.
“B O R I N G” vil nok mange yngre voksne si på “nytt norsk”, om et slikt prosjekt . For de har mer enn nok med å klare opptakskravet, få god eksamen, holde på kjæresten, hygge seg med kompiser, få seg en bra nok jobb, trimme sixpacken, skaffe et sted å bo, stelle små barn, kombinere jobb og familie, holde seg oppdatert på Insta, Facebook, twitter, og Youtube, osv osv..
Strukturelle rammer som fanger oss, men som kalles friheter.
Som samfunn har vi bygget strukturer, i form av byer, lover, regler, økonomiske systemer og militære forsvarsmekanismer. Som mennesker må vi underkaste oss mye av dette for å få tilhørighet i samfunnet.
Moderne strukturer og organisasjoner, by China Daily
Sosial tilhørighet. av My Europe My say
Lovene og ordningene både beskytter og begrenser våre utfoldelsesmuligheter. De siste tretti årene har imidlertid en ny type organisering av vårt verdensomspennende økonomiske system, den ny-liberale og globale penge politikken kommet i veien for et reelt folkestyre. Vi er på vei fra demokrati til finansokrati , der den økonomiske eliten, med sin pengemakt kan kjøpe seg innflytelse på politikken over hele kloden.
Dessverre er den psykologiske effekten av dette i befolkningen både makteløshet, avmakt og tildels forakt for politikk, og mistro til at ens stemme vil kunne bety noe ved valg. Se: (Do you have any influence on your life?)
Når er nok nok av ny-liberalistisk globalisert økonomi ? by The Correspondent
Underholdningsbransjen med digitale medier og tidsstjelende programkonsepter gir oss fluktmuligheter fra denne oppgittheten. Men dette er også hensikten til pengemaktens fyrster. Fyller de folket med substitutter for allment samfunnsengasjement, så gir det dem fritt spillerom til sitt prosjekt: Å samle verdiskapningens resultater på få hender, mens det samtidig drypper litt på middelklassen.
Uansett, stem ved valg og organiser deg, dersom det er mulig.
Av grunnene nevnt ovenfor, er mulighetene mindre for deg og meg til alene å gjøre store forandringer som betyr noe på lang sikt. Men vi mennesker er som nevnt ustyrt med en hjernekapasitet uten sidestykke i universet, såvidt vi foreløpig vet.
Vi er også utsyrt med evnen til empati, hvis den møtes med empati og medfølelse fra vi er små. Gjør vi feil og bommerter bør de ikke slås ned på , men forstås i sin sammenheng, og justeres på en tydelig men vennlig måte! Det vi klarer bra bør fremheves mer enn det vi ikke får til! Uansett må kjærligheten og omsorgen være ubetinget. ( Dr. i klinisk psykologi Mary Trumps bok om sin fars og onkel Donalds forferdelige oppvekst med en kjærlighetsløs og dysfunksjonell ærgjerrig far, er et skrekkeksempel på feilslått oppdragelse. M. Trump 2020) Sjekk hvordan fedre bør opptre overfor sine sønner for å gi dem trygghet, medfølelse og sosial kompetanse( “Som faderen så sønnen.” om farens rolle i sønnens liv.»)
Så for å utgjøre en forskjell må vi kanskje satse lokalt i første rekke. Stoppe opp, og tenke over hva som mangler rundt oss, og hva akkurat du og jeg kan stille opp med lokalt.
“Between the Moment and the Eterniyy”, photo by Viet Ha Tran
Å bety noe for flere enn oss selv, gir livet mening.
«De føder oss sittende overskrevs på en grav, det lyser opp et øyeblikk, så er det igjen natt!» skrev Samuel Beckett i “Mens vi venter på Godot“
Dette Samuel Becketts perpektiv på livet er krasst. Likevel kan vi si at tiden mens vi faller gjennom luften og ned i graven, både kan fortone seg som et øyeblikk, og som en varig seigpining, og heldigvis noe midt imellom! Fysikkens tidsberegninger og vår opplevelse av tiden, såkalt antropologisk tid er svært forskjellig. Det vi imidlertid vet er at kvaliteten på tiden vi lever er viktigere en kvantiteten.
En god form for meningsskaping er å gjøre noe som endrer livene våre til det bedre. Den beste formen for meningsskaping er å gjøre noe som bedrer livet for andre. Og ikke nødvendigvis bare materielt og økonomisk!
Dikteren Arnulf Øverland sa det slik: “EN HUSTAVLE” (1929)
Det er en lykke i livetsom ikke vendes til lede:Det at du gleder en annen, det er den eneste glede.
Det er en sorg i verden, som ingen tårer kan lette:Den at det var forsentda du skjønte dette.
Ingen kan resten av tidenstå ved en grav og klage. Døgnet har mange timer året har mange dage.
To live your emotional life through music and TV-series.
Many of us use TV movies, series, and music as a substitute for our own dull or gloomy lives. We may not on a daily base express ordinary, strong emotions, but can live through the spectrum of emotions via music and films. Psychologically, it is important that we have these channels of expression, but it is not enough. We also need this whole repertoire of emotions and reaction possibilities in our own lives!
Five years ago, my family and I were so tired of American quality series on Netflix, HBO and C-More that “we took a Spanish one”. (that is an expression in Norwegian language meaning to do something not entirely accepted or legal. Here it has a double meaning referring to Spanish TV- series. ) So we started watching several Spanish series, one Belgian and two Dutch. We listened to all the series and films in the original language, respectively, Spanish, Dutch, and Flemish. We had Norwegian subtitles below.
Eastwards towards the Bosphorus and Istanbul
Then one day we became a little more exotic, and went to Turkey, to the series Kördügüm «Interception». We learned to say “günaydın”, good morning, “teşekkür ederim “, thank you very much, and” tamam “, okay, “evet,” yes, and “hayir”, no. And not least, we learned to like the music. ‘¨
Opening scene in “Interception”, in Italy, where this man in a minute must be resuscitated by the doctor below ,. His friend in the red car is extremely impressed and fascinated by this female doctor Naz. (Screenshot from the film)The character Naz, in “Interception” .played by Belçim Bilgin, Netflix photoKördügüm’s main charcters played by Ibrahim Celikkol, Belçim Bilgin, and Alican Yücesoy.
We go further and further east.
Then after Turkey we became even more exotic and went to Palestine and Israel. But the journey did not stop there either, it became even more exotic! We traveled all the way to Korea in the late 1800’s, with the series “Mr.Sunshine”. It is about the tense relationship between Korea and Japan at the time, and the complicated love affair between the rich man’s daughter Go Ae-Shin, and the slave boy Eugene Choi!
Photo captured from VG-TV Guide
Through this series, we really got our ears and eyes open for beautiful melodic Korean music. In a northern European tradition, most people will probably call this music overly romantic in the cultural meaning of the word. That is dramatic, passionate and yes, ordinary romantic. But if you dare to be a little on edge with heart, pain, loss, sorrow, envy, longing, even hatred. Then you also hear how amazingly beautiful the music and songs are in this context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwQwe47jXQs
Actors Byun Yo-Han, Kim Tae-Ri, Lee Byung-Hun, Byun Yo-Han, Kim Min-Jung, Kim Min- (photo from campus Connection)
From Chopin to Chen
In the afternoon I was still in Norway and Europe and played Chopin, Geir Tveitt and a little Shostakovitch on the piano. But throughout the night I looked up Korean, more specifically South-Korean k-pop, newer R&B, retro pop-rock, and melodic lighter music. One late night I came across the songwriter and the amazing singer Chen, and experienced something of the same as when we saw the series “Mr. Sunshine “:Very beautiful melodies, coral harmonic sounds, beautiful moods, and a singer with a very good voice. The songs I liked best were from Chen’s album “April and a flower”, with a seemingly Norwegian wooded mountain landscape on the cover.
Song writer and singer Chen, by Krishna Shroff
Whether this young South-Korean sang “Portrait of You”, to his young wife or newborn son, is not known and does not matter. The music is very well and made and beautiful, and has varying melodic themes from an opening A-theme, to a main B-theme and often C and D themes, even sometimes an E, ending back on the main B-theme. Here is “Portrait of You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-OooTyBLxw
Cover of the Album “April and a flower”, captured by Wikipedia
Eventually I found out that Chen was also a driving force in the song group EXO, which started little by little in 2012. Now they are eight or nine guys, and look almost like they have just become teenagers. But they sing, dance and make songs and concert shows so spectacular, that one would think they had never done anything else in their young lives. They work very hard, everyone is solo artists as well, and have a discipline that is not unknown to Koreans in general, nor South-Koreans.
EXO some years ago with names of the separate artists, without Lay, by printerest and my sister.
Those who want to check out the various stories of members Chen, Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun, Xiumin, and Lay, can do so online. (Here is a start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exo_(band) I’m not that concerned about their privacy. Another advantrage or strength of the band is that they performs their art in many different branches of music. They have received very positive reviews for this diversity from music critics. For example they both sing, compose and dance to pop, hip hop and R&B, aswell as Electronic dance music EDM. In addition to all this they produce house, rap, trap, synth-pop and other genres. They perform and release music in Korean, Japanese and Mandarin languages.
Screen photo of EXO in action from the concert in Japan.
– Love grief, despair and rage.
Then we continue with a calm song. It’s about the one we love, when she or him has decided to leave us. She or he has written about it on SMS, while we have been busy visiting friends or working on a project in another city. It’s raining, as it always does in movies when something sad is underway. We immediately throw ourselves on the motorcycle, on the train or the bus. Preferably we take the car, driving fast and furiously. While the windshield wipers wipe away the tears of heaven on the windshield, we drive through the night back to our beloved. We beg her or him to stay in the relationship: “Stay,”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc3mg5oT1Fc
Screenshot from “Stay” with Hangul and English subtitles.
But it looks like the game is lost. Your heart stings, almost like the beginning of a heart attack. You get desperate, furious, jealous, insane! And this is how the guys in the EXO band, rage over their lost sweethearts: (This is one of their hundreds of songs that I like the most) «Heart Attack» https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxo90RHlGz0.
From “Heart Attack” video, Screenphoto.
Then the rage is over, the realities sink in, a budding hope of reunion is in the air, the two say goodbye. But when he /she leaves, and gets out in the rain again, the crying comes like a scream. Cause deep down they both know that they will never meet again. Do they both Cry over their lost love? Here Chen, Baekhuyn and Xiumin sing at the big concert in Tokyo. «CRY»: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtpiKUI9Tko
Chen and Baekhueon’s “Cry” on platforms directly in front of the audience during the giant concert in Japan. (Screenphoto)
A version with Korean Hangul (한글) and English subtitles comes here, where we also see which guy sings what in the song. (These videos are not live, but have a slightly better sound than the live videos, and show the lyrics and who is singing. These videos are available for most of EXO’s songs. https: //www.youtube.com/watch? V = D9-oJasMraY
Is he the lucky one, waiting for smth good, or the unlucky guy waiting for an operation? EXO D.O in photo.(from an unknown source)
Many of us are waiting for something good. Many are waiting for something to happen. Someone is sitting in the waiting room waiting for the doctor. Others are awaiting surgery, or are currently being quarantined or recovering from corona viruses. Many are waiting to get a boyfriend again. (Does this apply to these guys after the heartache above?). Here is their version of this in “Wait”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlDhySKQojs
A calm and quiet moment during the Japan concert where six of the nine sing “Wait”
“Intro” and “Eve” as the opening of EXO’s concert in Japan. Screenphotos from live video.
And who can end the concert in a more natural, respectful and dignified way with the song, “Don’t go!” Here they have huge rigs with platters that bring them out to all the thousands of spectators who have crowded together to see them. (This is before the corona): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCAOJpZJGwQexo.
The song “Don’t go” from the Japan tour. Screenphotos from the video.
“The answer is you”
I end the meeting with these eight or nine guys, with three songs. The first is called “My answer”, and addresses directly to “you”. Here, only three of the nine sing. and! The second song is called “Oasis”, from the album “The Planet”, where the whole group is involved. Finally, we turn off the spotlights on these artistic talents, with “Lights Out”.
EXO draws huge crowds of fans from all over Asia. They have not yet been successful in the US, probably because they mostly sing in Korean with titles in English and a couple of English verse lines inside the songs.
If anyone claims a little condescendingly that this is just another sterile boy band, I have not been able to do them justice through this short presentation. Check for yourself if you like any of this. I think if you loosen up a bit on the tie knot, hair hoop, polo shirt or the raised classical music nose, you will find something, no matter which genre you like best. From EDM with wild dance steps and rap, through 80’s retro and quite advanced songs, to thoughts and reflections about the planet we live on:
We end where we started in South Korea, with Chen singing “Lights Out” under the floodlights that will soon be turned off for this time. (Screen Photo above)
Psychological Universe’s thoughts about such a large and talented band, with many individual singing stars.
EXO nine individuals and a close-knit and cohesive group, photo from Wikipedia.
When you, as the father of only boys, – two of them very artistic and hard-working, like their friends, who often have filled the living room and the house at parties, you get a kind of fatherly relationship with these boys in EXO as well. You both love them and are proud of their achievements, at the same time a little worried because they always have to be so disciplined, hardworking, well organized, and not least they have to live up to too high expectations!
That eight or nine guys, some of them married and with girlfriends and children, manage to work together as a good team, is also a miracle. But they have the music they love, and we hope they can handle the pressure for a while longer. For such large groups usually disintegrate after a few years. Now, as far as I have read, they have been together since 2012!
It all started with choosing different TV series, from other countries to feel and experience other cultures in images and music.
Watching TV series a little outside of the traditional American and English versions, can take you far away. In our case to the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Turkey via Palestine and Israel Even all the way to “EXO-tical” South-Korea!
When it comes to music, the psychological perspective is first and foremost to see what emotions, images and thoughts arise when you hear a symphony, sonatas, or pop/rock / rap songs. There are often videos on Youtube, so the pictures will not be your own. But where the text, as with Korean, is usually not understood by non-Koreans, it is easier to have your own feelings for what is being presented.
Feelings of vitality and degrees of intensity.
And the question is whether we recognize ourselves in the way it is sung – the melody, the rhythm, the intensity, or the quiet and calm parts. To use the world-famous infant researcher Daniel Stern’s terminology, music and song generate vitality feelings, ie emotions that range from the calmest to the most intense in our world of experience.
BTS: (Check “Extra”, end of article)
Next time I write about music that is not classical, I hope to adjust the balance with a similarly great girl band!
The South-Korean flag, THE FRONT PAGE PHOTO IS FROM 2016, by Wikipedia.
Additional videos that show this group’s force and strength:
MAMA: This song is about being totally frustrated in the world, deceived, at war, imprisoned, not listened to, alienated, left alone, feeling isolated. Where has love, care, and personal contact gone? Here they seem to be shouting at their mothers, their leaders, somewhat asking WHY on earth have we made such a world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80ZyJIrADMk&list=RD80ZyJIrADMk&start_radio=1
HISTORY. (Chinese version) This is one of their first hits all back to when they started in 2012. This song is very attacking and edgy and seems to refer to warfare, but I’m not sure that’s the theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-aqpL_TwiM
MIRACLES OF DECEMBER: This is a very beautiful melodious song, intended to be a Christmas song. The song shows the eminent voice quality of the soloists in EXO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knAYMEOxe0A
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 22: Boy band EXO attends the 6th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards on February 22, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)
EXTRA
July 2021: I am reminded by my Asian friend that at the present BTS is the most popular K- pop band in the world! They have started signing their lyrics in English and gained many more followers after that.
Their catchy songs, and stunning dance moves, thrills the ARMY as their folowers are called. Even talkshows worldwide and on the radio, you can hear;
NB: The suggested articles below have nothing to do with this post. They are put up by an algorithm on WordPress that I can’t or don’t know how to change! There are simply no articles or posts on the Psychological Universe like this one!
