Q&A: Is Music Really Destroying the younger ones?

Mr Kalu

Q:  So last two Sundays I was in the church and the pastor started preaching about something that got me thinking. He was speaking against music and that it is very devilish. He told us that we should stop listening to music with head phones. How it annoys him seeing a youth walking around with he's headphones in he's ear. That the music hypnotizes us and makes us commit all sorts of bad acts. I found this hard to believe. I mean how is it that suddenly the music I am used to listening to would turn around and make me go and commit something that I wouldn't do on a normal day.  Mr Ralph, your two cents?





A: Well first of all I would like to say Mr kalu that I am just one man and my opinion is what I believe in not what everybody should. When it comes to religion things get really delicate and I know I am no one to question the words of spiritual leaders, be them fake or real I am no one to judge. But of course I am not saying that your pastor is real or fake. I just thought i'll get it out there first before proceeding.

 I personally do not think there is anything wrong with listening to music be it with or without headphones. I believe that it depends on a persons personal discipline to be able to separate the real world from the world that the musical artists create. They do these things sometimes to tell of experiences or to raise awareness, and many other reasons. But with the commercialization of music and the increase in financial influence in the music industry. People have channeled their music more to mostly what sells. Controversy sells very well, so they make it a duty to keep putting out music with controversial contents to be able to make the buck. Not that I am against them selling, everyone needs money. The problem sometimes I know is the way some artists sing and the kind of message they send. Lyrics are no more strategically masked the way they used to be back in the days, in a way that both adult and child can listen to the same song but understand two different things.  I still do feel that people need to learn to choose what influences them and that the responsibility of proper interpretation and choice of action falls on the individual listening. If you listen to a song just take the good away from it. Listen to the beat and listen without trying to read too much meaning into it if it is sending the wrong message.
      I personally find one of the most controversial rappers, Eminem as one of my favorite artists. But I don't practice what he does, when he sings to send a message I listen to it with all my heart, I listen to the lyrics, the beat and the message. But when he talks about violence and many more social vices and encourage them, I simply listen to how brilliantly he strings he's words together to make good lyrical flow.


Q: So how do you suggest that people separate the good lyrics from the bad




A: You cannot really determine what would for everybody at once because everyone is different. Some need to be exposed to music with certain contents later in life while some others need to be introduced early enough. Sometimes it's from the parents and their lack of attention to what the kids are doing but then again if you restrict the kids too much they would do something much worse. I would just say that the home training still plays a major role but doesn't do it all.


Q: So what is your conclusion? is music destroying the young?


A: "Music" doesn't destroy the youths. Lol