Sunday, October 7, 2012

The Anti-social Network


And sure there is music even in the beauty, and the silent note which Cupid strikes, far sweeter than the sound of an instrument; for there is music wherever there is harmony, order, or proportion; and thus far we may maintain the music of the spheres. 

-Sir Thomas Browne


The Pied Piper is back, traversing the history of time, space and imagination, only to blow out of their feet the generation congregated at this intellectually fertile, lush, verdant and salubrious piece of land with his magic. This time, he will obliterate fences created to immure human spirit, bind together souls separated by social norms, and defy order meant to mollify the polite. He is creating the anti-social network, with a dash of technology and lots of music.

Dr. Ge, the co-founder of Smule, is an extra-ordinary inventor. Together with his co-founder CEO, Jeff Smith, he is giving a new meaning to the definition of a musical instrument. How true his thinking is. What a piece of instrument made of wood, metal and plastic mean to a person who cannot churn masterpieces out of it? We define it. It’s not the other way round. Hidden in this thought is a great opportunity. It’s a great learning. It’s so powerful and universal.

There is no evil which cannot be overpowered. There is no wound which cannot be healed. There is no defeat which cannot be undone. They all seem so intimidating because we don’t know how to play with them. We don’t know how to play them. Perhaps, we fail to churn masterpieces out of them, so they seem so overwhelming. If only had we thought of the truth that we define them, we would be much more at peace. It’s not the other way round. Our thought is the musical instrument. Our spirit is the musical instrument. Our soul is the musical instrument. What if we created the magical tune out of all the evil, sorrow and defeat that we deal with? What if we converted all the negativity that we have inside us into the funk? What if we turned our blues into the jazz?

The nerds who will create this anti-social network of soul musicians are no ordinary spirits. They won’t turn their heads aside at the sight of needy, miser, loner, clumsy, unsophisticated. Don’t expect this music from those who can create only the inner circle of heartless cacophony not the outer sphere of captivating melodies. They don’t frown at the madness; they don’t scowl at the disorder. They embrace unrefined, naïve and unpolished. They don’t find solace in the uncouth earthiness of their opposite. They provide them rhythm, harmony and tranquility to create resonance. They don’t ride freely on the unctuous. They ride along the undexterous.      

The tinkers have to work hard at it; they need to. It isn't an easy task. If the new order has to be created and the old one to be annihilated, we need a leap of faith, belief, and doctrine. Let the suave create the social network. I am game for the anti-social network.

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