Because I run the risk of sounding more than a little TAPPED if I tell you that I think there are hidden messages to the songs that get stuck in our heads, I'm going to pose this to you from another angle. A SCIENTIFIC angle, of course. Because nobody argues with SCIENCE.
Now please pay careful attention to what I'm about to say because even though I have no scientific qualifications whatsoever, my "I Have a Dream" post (date TBD) will make a whole lot more sense if you've read this one first.
Plus, I really like it when people pay attention to me.
SCIENTISTS believe that our subconscious minds are supremely knowledgeable and often contain the answers to the questions we are pursuing in life. (Herein lies the power of meditation: allow the brain to rest, remain open to the information that appears, and receive clarity and direction.)
It's a lot like a Magic 8 Ball, only more reliable.
Here comes my theory (which quite possibly might not be MY theory, per se, but I intend to claim it as mine anyway): I submit that that our supremely knowledgeable subconscious minds often use songs to send guidance to our conscious minds.
Listen: I know that sounds a little whack, Jack. Please bear with me.
Take, for example, the following compelling illustration. A few weeks ago, I spent three days with three thoughts circulating on repeat in my brain:
- Annoyingly Repetitious Thought #1: I wonder why Mastin [the Mastin with over 500,000 loyal blog followers] hasn't responded to the witty and thought-provoking post I sent him to consider posting on his site. I must have offended him. I'm so embarrassed: what an a**hole I am for offending him.
- Annoyingly Repetitious Thought #2: Why haven't I responded yet to a few heart-felt (and heartWARMING) emails from cherished readers of my itty-bitty blog? I am an ass for not doing onto others.
- Annoyingly Repetitious Thought #3: [ONE line of a John Mayer song. Over and over. And OVER.] "Now I'm starting to see that maybe it has nothing to do with me."
Can't I see the subliminal message here? Mastin's lack of response had nothing to do with me.
Obvious, right? Not to me it wasn't. I had myself convinced that by putting myself "out there," I had blown all future chances not only with Mastin but with every thought-leader in my field, as he had probably already sent an urgent email to Oprah and everyone else in his address book, urging them to black-list my emails.
[Warning: Internal resistance is a sneaky, convincing, and creative story-teller, friends! Mine creates at least one conspiracy theory per day. If you, too, have got the boogie-woogie in you and it's got to get out, see Steven Pressfield's life-changing book, "The War of Art" for a refreshing perspective on resistance and how to sidestep it.)
Where was I? Ahhh, yes. If only I had paid attention to Thought #3 (a message from my supremely knowledgeable subconscious mind on INCESSANT repeat), maybe I could have saved myself the worry and used that wasted energy towards more positive endeavors.
What I'm trying to say today is this: if you've had a question on your mind lately, consult your intuition and you'll likely find that you already have the answer. Meditation might be a more reliable guide than HOTTRAX 102.7, but hey--whatevah floats that boat of yours.
Finally, please rest assured that skilled scientists are working diligently around the clock to ascertain why, for the love of all things holy, I have had Dominic the Donkey stuck in my head ever since I wrote this post.
(A RIG-A-JIG-JIG!! HEE-HAW!! HEE-HAW!!!)