PRISONER EXPRESS

Every time I attempt to express my thoughts, ideas, and dreams with paper and pen, days of the old (past and present) take control of my mind. It's always that yearning for the old days. Everything was different from women, to entertainment, values, consumer products, prices, even music. Problems from the old days still exist. Examples: crime, sexual immorality, discrimination, addiction, and corruption in government. These few are only more rampant and systematically accepted.

As an African American I can only share the thoughts of a great lady as it pertains to music, "...And the drums of Africa still beat in my heart. They will not let me rest while there is a single Negro boy or girl without a chance to prove his worth," Mary McLeod Bethune.

Besides music from traditional teachings of creation, music from the land (Africa) of modern civilization is the only serene sound of bliss known to mankind. The harps that are portrayed as giving off that sweet sound of heavenly spirit; and the drums known for performing the many ritualistic ceremonies for members of the black race as revealed in history was music in its purest form.

The sound of music has taken on an almost barbaric sound and meaning. Music today is viewed as a money making venture and more so when its lyrics reflects problems of today's society. We can reminisce on our favorite music everyday of our lives. Our music interests are different, depending on our experiences and achievements in life.

Our present world today, with its individualistic attitudes has more or less gave precedence to race and social status being the determining factor on which type of music is preferred by the listener. Many good-hearted, God-fearing Americans view music as being transformed into sounds of hatred, inequalities, and violence (war). Take for example, thoughts of our American combat veterans. As long as we live, no matter how much we want to strongly believe in our patriotism, we'll go to our graves always hearing the sounds of artillery howitzers, large caliber guns, screeching tracks of personnel carriers and dusters. And more destructive the devastation of Huey gun ships and Jet-bombers.

All our preferences in music are being regulated by government, from gangster-rap to exotic sexually implicit sound tracks. The new rage in music is to entertain our fantasies. We indulge in music to aid in our growing addiction to alcohol, drugs, and violence. Many of us aren't music lovers at all. The sound of music in many minds echoes in our wishes as a result of global cries of children hungry and suffering. Lately the reminder of explosives jolting what normally was present in the Middle East (Holy Lands) before invasion by U.S. and Coalition Forces; whether right or wrong perpetrates the sound of music, all in the name of democratic freedom.

The only foreseeable change in upcoming music trends seems to be the wretched heat of nuclear catastrophe. Music was intended to be a form of enlightening therapy for strengthening souls. Today's music is any sound we believe is helping us to cope with stress and other shortcomings of our character.