Where the Hell is Matt?
I saw a video on YouTube today that evoked a surprisingly strong emotional reaction in me ... so I thought I'd write about it.
First, I invite you to watch the video for yourself and consider your own reactions:
I felt two things simultaneously as I watched, particularly as the 0:59 mark approached.
First, I couldn't help but smile. I felt like laughing out loud. And in fact, that's precisely what I did, several times! . . . And then, I also felt a strong urge to cry. There was a lump in my throat that lingered, even after the video had stopped.
What was going on here?
As I thought more about my reaction, I realized that I felt like laughing because Matt's dancing just looked so silly and fun. Everyone who joined him seemed genuinely cheerful and happy, smiling and dancing along with him. It individuals from all over the world coming together to participate in an amazing display of -- well -- togetherness.
Then I realized, I felt like crying for exactly the same reason.
There is so much negativity in the world these days. On a regular, some might even say constant basis, we are inundated with stories of hurt, abuse, death, violence, war, poverty, and pain. But for 4 minutes and 29 seconds, it felt like none of those things existed. I found myself thinking: Imagine what the world could be like if we could all set aside our differences, and set aside our pride... and just dance together.
The background music in this video, entitled Praan, is beautiful as well and was the perfect score in my opinion. I've already downloaded it to my iPod and anticipate that it will be repeated ad nauseum over the new few days.
Music can be a powerful force, and can evoke strong emotional reactions in us, as I'm sure you have often discovered in your own lives. For a moment, I found myself wondering whether I would have been strongly impacted by Matt's video if another, perhaps more comical, song had been substituted in Praan's place. I quickly put the thought out of my mind, however.
Instead, I chose to believe that it is not simply the background music, but the overall instillation of hope that perhaps one day our world can be as 'together' as the dancers come in this video, that holds the real significance for me. As one commenter on the YouTube video observed:
Maybe it is just a fun video of a guy with a silly dance getting other people to dance silly dances with him in different countries around the world.
But maybe it's something much more than that.
I'd love to hear what your own reactions were to Matt's video. I also highly recommend checking out others in the "Where the Hell is Matt?" series, particularly the latest one for 2012.
Happy Dancing. :)
First, I invite you to watch the video for yourself and consider your own reactions:
I felt two things simultaneously as I watched, particularly as the 0:59 mark approached.
First, I couldn't help but smile. I felt like laughing out loud. And in fact, that's precisely what I did, several times! . . . And then, I also felt a strong urge to cry. There was a lump in my throat that lingered, even after the video had stopped.
What was going on here?
As I thought more about my reaction, I realized that I felt like laughing because Matt's dancing just looked so silly and fun. Everyone who joined him seemed genuinely cheerful and happy, smiling and dancing along with him. It individuals from all over the world coming together to participate in an amazing display of -- well -- togetherness.
Then I realized, I felt like crying for exactly the same reason.
There is so much negativity in the world these days. On a regular, some might even say constant basis, we are inundated with stories of hurt, abuse, death, violence, war, poverty, and pain. But for 4 minutes and 29 seconds, it felt like none of those things existed. I found myself thinking: Imagine what the world could be like if we could all set aside our differences, and set aside our pride... and just dance together.
The background music in this video, entitled Praan, is beautiful as well and was the perfect score in my opinion. I've already downloaded it to my iPod and anticipate that it will be repeated ad nauseum over the new few days.
Music can be a powerful force, and can evoke strong emotional reactions in us, as I'm sure you have often discovered in your own lives. For a moment, I found myself wondering whether I would have been strongly impacted by Matt's video if another, perhaps more comical, song had been substituted in Praan's place. I quickly put the thought out of my mind, however.
Instead, I chose to believe that it is not simply the background music, but the overall instillation of hope that perhaps one day our world can be as 'together' as the dancers come in this video, that holds the real significance for me. As one commenter on the YouTube video observed:
Somehow when I saw all of these people dancing together, made me think how we are all somehow the same, no matter who we are, what religion do we believe, or what nation do we belong, and little joy tear shined inside my eye :)
Maybe it is just a fun video of a guy with a silly dance getting other people to dance silly dances with him in different countries around the world.
But maybe it's something much more than that.
I'd love to hear what your own reactions were to Matt's video. I also highly recommend checking out others in the "Where the Hell is Matt?" series, particularly the latest one for 2012.
Happy Dancing. :)
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