Rats and racing

Glastonbury 2008 was a kind of Woodstock in England.  The crowds gathered for many artists and were ecstatic about them all.  At one point, Chris Martin from Coldplay introduced Richard Ashcroft of Verve and allowed him to sing Verve's biggest song while Chris played the keyboard.  In the introduction, Chris said he was going to let Ashcroft sing "the best song ever written."

You be the judge.

Ashcroft sang Bittersweet Symphony.  No doubt it is a good song.  He compares life to a bittersweet symphony.  In verse 1 the song takes you down the only road the composer has ever been down, the road called the rat race and getting off seems impossible.  In verse 2, he frees himself the race.  But you get the clear idea that nothing will change even with the  freedom achieved.  He repeats, "I can't change," and asks "Have you ever been down?" (meaning down on your luck).  The song ends with life still being a bittersweet symphony, and chants, "That's life" as the song fades out.

Life can easily be this way.  I have had this experience myself.  It's the human condition.  I do choose the other path, however.  I see the sweet even if the bitter is mixed in and mitigates the taste of the sweetness from its full effect.

Life is a symphony - beautiful - bitter - sweet.