So, after four long posts about politics and religion,
all of which had me viewing the issue in an impartial light, I want to
use this post to address some of my concerns and thoughts. I never
considered myself a religious person; I was forced to attend a catholic
school in my elementary years, so, religion never really affected me as a
person. The occasional sermon never inspired me, as I felt that it was
too “restricting”. It restricted me to a certain lifestyle, which
limited my individuality. Of course, I didn’t think of it this way back
then, but now it seems like the likely conclusion.
My mother is a born-again Christian. Luckily, she does not force
religion on me, unlike many other people I know. A lot of people have to
withhold certain values due to their culture and background. Some
people do not even have a say in their beliefs, as they are taught
certain values from a young age. These values remain attached to them as
they grow, and gradually become their own values. The cycle repeats
with their offspring, of course. From my understanding, religion is an
outlet to promote “faith“, which is what truly contributes to our
spiritual development. However, I feel that many people misinterpret
faith as religion. Most politicians see this misunderstanding, and
utilize this to their advantage.
I really did not care for this issue until I realized that this has
happened consistently throughout history. Authority figures realize that
the masses are following a religion, or a person and they will utilize
that to further their manipulation on society, dictating its morals,
values, and thoughts. It is just as if they are stripping them of their
individuality, and replacing them with ideas and values that complement
the rule; they don’t tolerate any opposition, of course. I feel as if
the society we live in is built upon centuries of abuse and oppression.
Upon hearing, and realizing, that oppression runs amok in this world, I
failed to realize that as long as there are oppressors, there will be a
resistance. All throughout history, when a tyrant took rule of a land,
there were groups which actively resisted. It is no different now, and I
wish I could say that I am one of the rebels; oppression has no place
in today’s society. I can not
imagine my children living in a world run through inequality and
oppression, and molded to start conflicts because of narrow-minded
people in power.
Politics and religion are only two mere pieces of a large puzzle, the
completed piece spells “oppression“. They are tools, used by oppressors
to further pressure us into conforming to their morality, values, or a
dangerous lack of both. It is as if they breed greed and hate among us,
just to keep the wheel of oppression rolling. Individually, the concepts
of politics and religion are completely harmless, as I mentioned in my
first post. Add manipulation into the mix, and voila, you have the most
dangerous weapons ever designed. This concoction’s place in our current
society is quite disturbing; I say it with great disgust: we are all a
part of this global operation. However, awareness leads to realization,
and hopefully, we can do something about this.
As a musician, I stand for the freedom of expression and thought.
Although the genre of Heavy Metal is generally misunderstood for its
lyrical content and portrayal of politics and religion, it is somewhat
eye-opening to find that some lyrics shed lights on social issues, such
as the manipulation of the public from religious organizations, or even
the false justification of war used by our dear politicians. A certain
song by a Swedish metal group, Arch Enemy, discusses how the church has
utilized religion as an excuse for bloodshed by forcing its beliefs onto
the weak. Even though it is a song, it shows that these musicians are
willing to express their feelings, and expose the oppression that is in
our society - through the sheer power of their art. I look up to these
people as examples to follow, and wish to use musical instruments as
instruments of change.
Warning: Music contains death growls so it might not be easy for you to hear the lyrics.
Also I do not own the rights to this song.
Even though it might seem grueling for us, the oppressed have to stand
up against the oppressors. In the end, if we are all united, there is no
way for the oppressors to succeed. There are many instances in history,
in which whole societies came back from the verge of self-destruction.
It is our generation that is going to fight this battle for our future,
and for our children. Even though this oppression is systematically
implanted within the foundations of society, we, as individuals and
members of the community, can bring forth the first steps of change by
resisting and spreading awareness of this oppression.
One for all - all for one.
We are
strong – we are one
~ Nemesis