J.R. Reed turned on his iPod and listened to a song he’s heard a hundred times before. This time he heard a fable set to music.
In nearly fifteen years I don’t know how many times I’ve told my daughter that there is a huge difference between hearing and listening.
“Listening is a skill,” I say. “You need to do more than let it go in one ear and out the other.”
When we listen we learn things. When we hear we know words were spoken but can’t tell you what they were about.
It’s kind of like when our wives or girlfriends ask if we were looking at the pretty woman walking up the street towards us.
Did I see the woman? Of course I did. I’m not blind. Was I “looking” at her? No. I’m not stupid.
I recently listened to a song that I’ve heard hundreds of times before. Viva La Vida by Coldplay is one of my favorites and though I can sing along to most of the lyrics I never paid any attention to them until the other night.
The song begins with a violin bow sliding across the strings and suddenly I wasn’t hearing a song but rather listening a story. This story definitely has a moral, which is why I call this a modern fable.
By the second verse I pictured a man in the twilight of his life telling the story of his up and down life. It was a life lesson from the voice of experience and a reminder that what goes up eventually comes down, often at a high rate of speed.
I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning, I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
“Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!”
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can’t explain
Once you go there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world
It was a wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn’t believe what I’d become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?
[Chorus]
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Calvary choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never rule this world
But that was when I ruled the world
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
[Chorus]
As a society the only thing we like better than an underdog making it to the top is watching someone fall hard from his or her pedestal.
The storyteller begins by saying that he was once at the top of his profession. He could have been an accountant, a multi platinum recording artist or a partially charming blogger on the wrong side of 45. The story translates to any job.
He then told of his power and how the people he managed feared his wrath. The storyteller would do as he pleased with no regard as to how it affected anyone but himself.
Isn’t that pretty much every boss you’ve had in your life? Ever wonder how they got there?
“I bullied my way to the top,” said the Storyteller. “And I took out anyone who got in my way.” Looking towards the sky he sighed and finished by saying, “And I wish I could take it all back.”
Like anything built on an unstable foundation (pillars of salt and pillars of sand) the Storyteller came crashing down. Hard. And possibly in the public eye.
When we bully our way into things people may be amazed at what we accomplished but once we’re sent crashing to the ground by the next bully we’ll only be remembered on VH-1 and Nick at Nite.
After his fall the storyteller noted that the throng of admirers and “friends” quickly disappeared and he was truly alone.
The inner circle that used to protect the storyteller (and his reputation) was gone and the friends only tweeted about him when they were talking smack about his appearance on a lame reality show.
Maybe it’s not that way for the average Joe but think about how much social media affects even the everyday person.
Online reputations are important to us. Most of us don’t care about being famous or having a cult following but we want to know that people aren’t running their gums about how they call you Tool because of how you screw people over.
“Finally,” the Storyteller continued. “You should know that your only chance of staying on top is if you made it to the top the right way. With hard work and with honesty.”
We see examples of it everyday. It’s the high-ranking police officer that gets busted for selling the long arm of the law to the highest bidder.
Or maybe it’s the grocery store manager who feels he should be district manager and takes out his resentment on his employees but later gets caught having sex with a new cashier on a pallet full of Charmin.
I think you get my point.
Listening opens us up to new and interesting ideas and make us better people. Hearing doesn’t make us better people and it probably drops our IQ a handful of points every couple of years.
If a song can have a moral this is it.
There’s more to life than just getting from here to there. If we want to stay there we have to get there without trampling on people.
Also, the cream always rises to the top and the crud at the bottom of the vat that’s not good enough to be called MGD is what they put in cans and call Old Milwaukee.
The End.
If you want to see a real-life example of “No regard as to how it affected anyone but himself” check out Marcus Williams’ piece on Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno, Click Here.
Viva La Vida written by Chris Martin, Johnny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion.
Photo of typewriter courtesy of Shutterstock.