What would the world be like if countries’ “Democratic Leaders” were replaced with “Music Makers?”

Music has been around for a long time, and many people believe that it was created by man. But the truth is that music can be found in any sound, including silence. Wind blowing, raindrops falling, your heartbeat, even stillness is melody, so to think that such a sedate force is guiding the future of billions… what the heck!!! “Music is my saviour,” however, are phrases that have never made sense to me. I’ve lost track of how many times these words have passed through my mind yet I’ve never given them any thought.

It always looked like a bunch of nonsense that people kept saying with no meaning or truth to back it up, a marketing gimmick, but it came to me when I was at a music festival last year in Magarpatta city near Pune. A friend’s suggestion to attend a three-day music festival with over 15000+ spectators and over 64 musicians, including DJs, rock bands, folk bands, and Sufi music, etc.

I’ve never been a fan of crowds since my first concert experience in 2009. Places where people congregate, large meetings, and conventions. There are a lot of things you need to take care of, like your wallets and belongings, and even your girlfriends… hehehe; I remember a Channel V concert with a lot of different music icons and idols like Akon and Atif Aslam performing, various genres of music, and a crowd of around 30 – 40 thousand people.

But, with all of my experience and fears of losing things put aside, a thought came to this perplexed mind of mine about what was so common about concerts, I mean, it’s impossible for a person to like every song that is performed at concerts, and with these vast choices of Rock, Metal, Alternate Rock, Jazz, Funk, Pop, EDM, Trance, Hip Pop, with Indian genres; I mean, there are total 20 categorises and in which 280 genres of western music

Curiosity is the mother of all good bad decisions.

I started looking into what it is about these shows, music, DJs, and bands that drives people insane. I’ve seen people quit their jobs for such events if they weren’t allowed leave, lying to their loved ones about it, some with weeks or months of planning and others with a spontaneous break from their lives. When I investigated the amount of people who attended the world’s largest music festivals, I discovered that the top of the lists were:

1. DONAUINSELFEST (VIENNA, AUSTRIA), with 3.2 million visitors in 2013, 2,000+ acts, and 21 stages.

2. MAWAZINE (RABAT, MOROCCO), with 2.5 million visitors in 2013, 90 acts, and 7 stages.

3. SUMMERFEST (WISCONSIN, USA), 800K-1 million attendees (840,000 in 2013), 800+ acts, 11 stages

The figures spoke for themselves; after all, who could imagine another activity other than this that could bring such a large number of people together in one area for a single goal?

You still have the entire world at your disposal, but India isn’t far behind. Concerts and music festivals such as Sunburn, NH7 Weekender, goMAD Festival, Enchanted Valley Carnival, and others have attracted crowds that we can’t imagine seeing at any political convention or rally.

What motivates these events? What is it about these events that draws so many people in? It can’t be the kinds of music played, the artists performing, the time of year they’re held, or the location they’re held; granted, these are factors that influence but don’t significantly conflict our decision not to attend one. We’d never heard anyone state that a particular band or artist performing is a reason for people not attending music festivals or cancelling their tickets, or that the entire crowd evacuated because of the location.

MUSIC is the answer to every justification for a music festival that you can think of. It doesn’t matter what genre, artist, or band music is; it has the capacity to bring people together. It doesn’t care what religion, caste, location, or category you belong to; it doesn’t distinguish between position, class, or gender. Music has the power to bring people together. This is a tremendous force. Something that people with opposing viewpoints on anything and anything can agree on. People have a choice, but there is one thing that everyone has in common: music. When words fail to reach you emotionally, music comes to the rescue.

I bet none can differ this point with me right?

So, what if somebody with this capacity, this power of bringing people together, were allowed to control a country or the entire world? What would be the outcome? Is it a lovely reality or a terrifying nightmare?

There would be no racism, hypocrisy, discrimination, prejudice, or injustice since there would be no social evil. Elections based on the number of people who attend a concert. Election rallies, which generate a great deal of hardship and trouble for the general public and persist for a month, would never be a problem. Promises made would be kept, and pessimism would decrease. People will not be shunned or shunned because they come from a state where the government is at odds with them, or because they make poor decisions or take a long time to make decisions.

That is just about one country; if I take the entire planet, there will be no wars; the world will be separated by musical genres, and even called after them. Unlike the battles and judgements that entice the youth into politics and lay the groundwork for a moderation that may take a negative turn, music will not do so, and people will shake hands when it comes to societal policy or change.

There will be no wars between countries; instead, if things get heated, we can have face-offs and music concerts to settle disputes; who needs nukes and destructive weapons when things can be resolved in a more enjoyable manner? Millions of dollars/rupees are spent on research for arms and ammunition, but how different would our country be if same money was focused on issues that need to be addressed on a priority basis? Spending ‘all’ resources on monitoring people in other countries to determine how soon we will face a war is an ineffective and poor strategy, whereas if these resources were spent on developing the country’s system, the country’s people would behave in accordance with their system, regardless of the situation or challenge they are presented with.

The crux of the matter is how to reach out to people in order to change their values. This is our leaders’ job, yet today’s leaders all have arbitrary beliefs.

What’s the worst that could happen if something like music may prove to be an optimal means to reach out to an insane number of people’s minds with one voice? Consider the following scenario: imagine the outcome of the Lok-pal bill judgement if the path taken had been different. Where there was so much violence, destruction, and strikes that occurred, the situation could have been avoided and a different outcome of the overall concept presented. But, as I said, it’s just wishful thinking, right?

“Music is the universal language of mankind.”

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Music helps us in ways we can’t begin to define; it touches or lives in a million ways, whether you’re furious, pleased, depressed, or elated; whatever your emotion, situation, time, location, or flavor, music never harms you. Every scenario and emotion for every human has its own rhythm or tune. Music moves you, inspires you, relaxes you, makes you determined, devout, channeling outbursts of emotions or stillness louder than words can ever express, makes you think, recall, laugh, and love. It has the ability to pierce our hearts with its music. 

With such power uniting nations and people all over the world, why not have the individuals who created such awe rule the country for a change? I have no fear of danger when I hear music. I am impregnable. I don’t see any adversaries. I can trace my ancestors back to the beginning of time and all the way to the present. It brings concepts together, aids in transcendence, raises emotions to new heights, and aids in the development of our civilization.

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

– Hans Christian Andersen

When Fido Dido was the mascot for 7up, I read a phrase on an old bottle that said, “Good music has no expiry date.” Yes! The present generation appreciates loud music, but there are days when we play oldies from the 1980s and 1990s, and vice versa for our elderly. I’ve heard a rickshaw wala listening to remixes by many prominent DJs rather than the original covers, and I’ve seen my elderly dancing to current pop music. 

Many people believe that they (music composers) are unqualified or unfit for the job of ruling a country, but how would it be if they did? Simply said, it isn’t their job, but let’s face it, those that do haven’t been performing well on the job profile in the first place. I’m not coming up with the idea of replacing the so-called just system with a crazy all-night party. However, rather than being paid for attendance, presenting the idea of people actively uniting for a common purpose (being paid rather than paying is never a loss, is it?).

So, thinking that music creators should be given an opportunity to shake things up isn’t such an awful concept, is it? It could be wishful thinking, but it’s worth considering, or maybe I’m simply thinking too far ahead…

Music is best when it’s louder than my thoughts

– Quote by: Hussain Bharmal & Vinay Vishwakarma. 🙂