The churning sound of the overdriven guitar rings out in an atmosphere filled with reverb as the second guitar rings out a natural harmonic. In perfect alignment, the side drum and floor toms ring out for the engine to start ignition as the wheels are about to come to life.
“We scan the empty sky – Always without success
We’re lighting signal fires – And spelling SOS
We stare at broken clocks – The truth comes twice a day
While every second just slips away…“
In times like these, where the words “trying times” are heard to no end and have now settled down as a new normal, adjusting to this new lifestyle has been an overwhelming task to everyone. Many found themselves at a loss, hesitant on every step in life, be it relationships, work, or even the simple things such as sleep schedules. For those looking up at the stars or the clouds, trying to catch a signal from a UFO; for those silently sending signals of distress in the long hours past midnight; for those caught in the paradox of time, watching the clock read the same number twice each day, this is for you.
“Are you gonna wait here for a sign to let you know now?
Are you gonna sit there paralyzed by what you’ve seen?
Or are you gonna finally grip the wheel? I think you know-how
Is this more than you expected it to be?”
Music has been a shoulder to lean on, a hand to hold, and a breath of relaxation and calmness for many of us. But the way it affects each and every one of us is different. Think of it as two people on either side of a mirror. The musician behind the mirror spreads out a canvas and paints his emotions and feelings on it. But the person standing in front of the glass only sees what he/she wants to see. You can spread out your own thoughtful canvas, and use what you think is as the painting that the musician did, to draw out your own emotions.
This shift in perspective depending on who stands in front of the glassy side of the mirror is what led to the final project by our Editors Team, “Revorhythm”. Coining up the rhythms heard throughout the years, and how revolutions of all sorts and forms have left an imprint on our minds from said rhythms, the project name and tagline was birthed. With that, the team got together a list of songs which to them, reflected a special meaning. Here’s a recap on how each one saw themselves in a mirror.
Rtr. Ishara Nimeshi saw herself seeking maturity through all the flashing scenes in life, and adapting to them. Behind her mirror, she saw John Mayer paint a railway of life, and imagined herself sitting in a carriage and hoping that someone would “Stop This Train”.
Next, on a ride of conflicting thoughts and realizations, Rtr. Dasith Tilakaratna (AKA Me) brought out the image I saw through the cracks in my mirror with the Foo Fighters’ “My Hero”. But mulling over it, I saw the beauty in the cracks and saw how all role models in our lives that we look up to, are in fact ordinary, yet so special.
In her mirror, Rtr. Sayogi Asogan didn’t see just herself, but she saw the world for how it really is. Talking to her reflection, she painted Michael Jackson’s voice in a beautiful palette of self-reflection on how fortunate we are for having what we do, and how society in general, needs everyone to start with the “Man in the Mirror”.
Society comes in all forms, which is what Rtr. Rashmi Leema saw through Linkin Park and painted on her canvas. A form of construct found in schools, universities, and even at times, the passing by remark offered at work, she writes about how bullying and peer pressure can lead a person to be “Numb” of all other feelings, but gives hope and extends an arm of solidarity in standing up for that person, by that person.
Rtr. Izad Ijaz takes a break from gazing at a mirror and decided to build up a foundation so strong, that nothing that life throws at him will stop his recovery. He brings out the best of Eminem to paint out a sign showing that even in the darkest of times, we should always pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and keep on moving. And that sign said that he was “Not Afraid”.
The sweet and mysterious haze of Pink Floyd was what Rtr. Shaini Wimalakeerthi saw in her mirror. Peering out through the clouds of addiction, she questions the reflection as she paints a commentary of a person weighing his choices, and ponders whether it really should take so much, to be “Comfortably Numb”.
The most powerful moments that you feel the emptiness is at the most simplest times, such as an empty chair in the kitchen. Loss is a four-letter word that follows another four-lettered word, as told by Linkin Park. Through her mirror, Rtr. Thiruni Withana writes on how she cares, even if “One More Light” fades out.
Rtr. Nishakya Liyanaarachchi sees a side of recovery portrayed through mental health and wellbeing. Rise Against guides her in seeing that despite the overwhelming odds, tomorrow will come, in “Tragedy + Time”. And in the end, Rtr. Chami Pehasara finds herself seeing a reflection of a very personal and deep form of loss, described by Sufjan Stevens in a haunting new meaning to the “Fourth of July“.
“Don’t wait for a miracle, to tumble from the sky
To part the seas around you, or turn water into wine
Don’t wait for a miracle, the world is passing by
The walls, that will surround you, are only in your mind…”
Whatever way we look at it, to each one of us, each mirror showed something that we might have shared, or might not have shared. But together, all of us can exchange our thoughts and feeling somehow something as sensitive as music can express a side of us that we may be struggling with, and at the same time, how thoughts that are shrouded by our daily shoving forward in life, are hidden. To those plugging in their headphones and lying in bed way into the morning, if you feel like a sudden creative jolt of energy is going through, don’t wait around! Pick up a pen and a piece of paper and scribble those thoughts down. To those listening to the radio while working, never give up no matter how tall the waves might be. Rather than trying to part the sea and walkthrough, swim as hard as you can, and reach your destination.
And to everyone waiting, hold on. Because as the song says, you don’t need a miracle to randomly fall on to you. For the paths you’ve taken to mature as a person, for how ordinary your mistakes are, for the way you see the cracks in society and work to help another, for the grace in which you handle pressure and loss, for the never-ending hours you put to recover through an addiction holding you back, and for who you’ve become as a person, you happen all the time. You’re the miracle…
“But we don’t need miracles- to tumble from the sky
To part the seas around us – or turn water into wine
‘Cause we are the miracles – we happen all the time
We’re not scared of what surrounds us
We’re not waiting for a sign…”
By Rtr. Dasith Tilakaratna
Image Credits: https://bit.ly/33KbaAn
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