Music, the Self, and The Persona

One thing I like to consider is how different songs tell stories which apply to the dynamic between the Self, the basic conscious awareness existing below all distinguishable features, which experiences reality, and the persona, the mask of distinguishable features that are perceived and identified with, forming a false self.

Two examples that come to mind are “Hurt” by Johnny Cash (actually by nine inch nails but I prefer Johnny cash) and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. A few examples from the lyrics of the two songs:

Hurt

“I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel. I focused on the pain, the only thing that’s real.”

The self subjects itself to all sorts of experiences in order to feel like it exists, both painful and pleasurable.

“What have I become? My sweetest friend? Everyone I know goes away in the end...”

As the Self is timeless, but the world and the persona are temporary, it watches its creations change and fade away while it stays constant, while never truly being about to know itself.

“Beneath the stains of time, the feelings disappear. You are someone else, I am still right here.”

Another reference to the Self’s timeless qualities. The persona and world change constantly, while the Self is ever unchanging.

“I wear this crown of thorns, upon my liars chair, full of broken thoughts, I cannot repair.”

A reference to Christ’s crown of thorns. Christ is a powerful symbol of the relationship between the Self and the persona. Liars chair can refer to the fact that all the forms the Self creates and observes are fabrications, and broken thoughts I cannot repair can refer to the fact that the world can only be experienced as fractured pieces of the whole, and repairing this fracture would close the gap between experiencer and experience, bringing an end to experience until the gap reopens.

“You can have it all, my empire of dirt. And I will let you down, and I will make you hurt.”

Through the Self, the persona experiences the world, in a way receiving the world from the Self. As the Self knows the inherent meaninglessness of all forms, it refers to the world of forms as an empire of dirt. Of course, the Self does not serve the persona, rather the persona serves the self, so any expectations the persona has will be let down, and it will at times be subjected to suffering, at the whim of the Self.

Bohemian Rhapsody

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality...”

The self can never perceive itself, or the decisions controlling the world of form. It can only perceive the fruits of these decisions, which are in effect preconscious. You can’t see an object until that object exists. Therefore the Self is caught in an endless landslide of its own preconscious fabrication, never certain whether or not the world is really real, or just a dream. Regardless, there is no way out.

“I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy because I’m easy come, easy go, little high, little low, anyway the wind blows doesn’t really matter to me.”

The Self is innocent, but at the same time all that it experiences is created by Itself. Meaning it is helplessly tossed about in the world, and yet undeserving of sympathy. It goes wherever the wind blows and it doesn’t really mind, because it doesn’t judge reality, it only experiences it. All judgement is just a fabrication.

“Goodbye everybody. I’ve got to go. Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.”

In order to face the truth, the persona must turn away from the world and recognize its illusory nature, identifying with the Self, which is the only true thing.

“So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye? So you think you can love me and leave me to die?”

The persona rebelling against the Self’s contradictory nature, how it brings about pleasure and pain. How it never leaves the persona, until it kills the persona. And the persona will always die. See also how God the Father (likened to the Self) abandoned Christ on the cross.

Those are just two examples. I was wondering if anyone else has noticed anything like this in Music, or movies, or video games or books or art in general.

Submitted June 14, 2019 at 03:27AM by uberbunk11 http://bit.ly/2KNlPly