THE ANSWERS WITHIN

A guy friend of mine asked me a very interesting and complex question last night. We were discussing song lyrics and poetry. He asked me "Why do we like that kind of stuff?" Why does it appeal to us? I am going to attempt an answer. It's a complex question with many answers.

Women long for romance. Men long to be romantic. Women look for answers to burning questions about themselves within "the bars of a rhyme" such as "Am I beautiful?" "Am I worthy of love?" "Do I have what it takes?" Our biggest fear is being abandoned.

On the other hand, men look to these song writers and poets for inspiration because a man's biggest fear is failure. Men secretly desire to be more open about matters of the heart. Women desire for men to be more open about love. Women desire to be rescued from our insecurites and men desire to rescue us.

Instead of taking risks and expressing how we feel, we hide behind the insights of others telling ourselves that that particular songwriter or poet says it a lot better than I could ever say it. We depend on songs to evoke emotions within us that stay dormat most of the time because we try so hard not to feel for fear of feeling anything. We have become comfortably numb.

We like this romantic prose because it allows us to feel again. It provides an escape hatch from this cruel world. It transports us into a safe haven where we can get back in touch with that part of us that is not afraid to dream, make wishes, and anticipate happy endings.

It's the tiny place in our hearts that has not been jaded by cruel intentions or rejection and is not afraid to have a little faith and trust in someone. It's a place in our hearts that is not afraid to live or to love and be loved. It is a state of letting emotions run free and lifting spirits. It's like taking a good mood pill and immediately feeling better about life and love. It allows us to relate and empathize with each other realizing that we are not alone in the world. After all, "No man is an island". We all need to get in touch with our emotions. We all desire to see poetry in motion. We are all looking for the answers within.