Rather than turning away from the staggering scale and depth of misery caused by war we must strive to develop our capacity to empathize and feel the sufferings of others.
I respect and empathize with reporters and editors who must compete in today's environment. And I know full well that when I've been covering campaigns which I still do I've made my mistakes and have been far from perfect.
So there's no guarantee if you like the music you will empathize with the culture and the people who made it. It doesn't necessarily happen. I think it can but it doesn't necessarily happen. Which is kind of a shame.
Throughout my 20s I spent a lot of time just playing and not really working but fortunately for me I continued to get just enough work and have a reason to wake up in the morning. I really empathize with some of my peers who had success in the early years then it dries up and so there's no reason to get up in the morning.
Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity it is the power to that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
But then I go through long periods where I don't listen to things usually when I'm working. In between the records and in between the writing I suck up books and music and movies and anything I can find.