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I am surprised we didn't write "Could" sooner, even when we
were in college together - because it is a theme that has been on the tip of
our tongues since we first became friends.
We are products of the observations we do or do not make;
"Could" was the byproduct of quiet examinations of people
sacrificing happiness in the name of practicality. So much so that life
becomes a monotonous chore of DOING. There is an inherent constant struggle that we all have with:
BEING vs. DOING
BEING meaning "who you are at your core, what you believe to be your individual principles, and how these shape your perspective on the world."
DOING meaning "how you spend the limited moments we are given - regardless of your BEING."
"Could" is a snapshot narrative of that begrudging conversation everyone must eventually come to have with oneself.
Questions that highlight the essence of BEING - which if not asked in a
timely manner, might result in years and years passing by - until you
finally look backwards through a telescope of regret.
See, "Could" as a word is indicative of possibilities, just as the human spirit is. Sometimes the possibilities are so endless that we become frozen with indecision, and wake up many moons later wondering where the world has gone. But in that endlessness is also the beauty of BEING - where we are infinite, limitless, and ripened with potential.
When we began writing the songs on b?, we knew our singular
experiences would not be enough. We began creating characters, worlds,
and universes to carry and explain this complex concept of BEING.
"Could" is one of the many looks at the human condition on the album,
but it wasn't until the writing of this song that we noticed our
humanity was clouding our ability to make unbiased observations. As an
experiment, we decided to write about the human condition from the perspective of some being that was not plagued by it -
The Following is an Excerpt from that Perspective:
Figure 1. Humans Believe that
what they DO is WHO THEY ARE
Figure 2. Humans tend to think less
about why they are doing something
and focus instead on the DOING Itself
Figure 2A. Humans use practices
like religion and politics to fulfill
their Doing Instincts
Figure 3. There is nothing
stronger than Humans engaged in
absolute BEING
Humans are one of the most peculiar and puzzling phenomenons I've observed on this giant blue marble. Their defining difference seems to lie in a self-proclaimed gift of self-awareness. They have an ability to analyze, remember, and internalize events, conversations, and relationships: an idea they have dubbed as "The Human Condition". This knowledge is a double-edged sword to them as it is both their mortality and their misery. You see, the birds of the air do not plague themselves with insecurities of where they will fly to. Even the fish below are not concerned with why the current flows the way she does. In contrast - humans obsess. Constantly. Without Fail. They live in binary statements of "what if". Timid "what ifs?" For every brave thought that wanders through their head in the name of happiness, there is a counter-thought burdened with self-doubt and unworthiness. This dichotomy seeps into every conscious decision -
often diluting a human's ability to experience life with a mentality of BEING. They are much more blinded through DOING. They build their lives around routines, actions, and schedules. They go places they believe they ought to go, or DO things they think they ought
to do. This belief of "what they should do" is unfounded in any sense of happiness, and removed from passionate calling. Most of the time, it is derived from fearful practicality.
This DOING for the sake of DOING is evident in almost every corner of what humans
call "important". In religion, humans treat the belief in God or a higher purpose as a relay race torch-passing decision, where they adopt their beliefs because they were told to (usually by a family member or one they trust). This also happens with ideas of politics where people fully neglect the kind elements of their humanity like compassion, empathy, selflessness
and instead fall for more self-centric views. They seem to always want to build their lives around "what is going to do the most for them" - which is a limited set of singular experiences in an otherwise infinite universe of existence. When the DOING mentality is so ingrained in a human, it drains the humanity out of them, and humans start seeing other humans as boxes. Boxes of race. Boxes of Inequalities. These boxes become smaller and smaller as humans compartmentalize. They often resign themselves considering whatever is the largest box - usually their occupation. Remember, they are all about Doing - and doing is directly correlated to where you spend your time working.
The absolute irony of humans lie in their extended name: "human beings." The added word is astonishing when you observe how they center their lives around DOING.
Many are so far removed from the concept of BEING as they believe it is a wasteful way to live. Some despise it. Yet when I have come across humans truly BEING it is the most beautiful picture of Freedom I have come to know. I have seen homeless mothers in Ladakh shower their Children in kisses of Unconditional Love, their babies accepting with unwavering smiles and unconcerned with what they DO or DO not have. I have seen Teenagers in Texas plead with politicians about topics well beyond their responsibility, in the name of
generations yet to come. I have seen communities attacked with bigotry and hatred, respond only in manners of irrational kindness. I have seen hope in the eyes of the unexpected. I have seen light in their darkest days. I have seen the human spirit and it is strong, and when it is BEING, it is unbreakable. If I were to summarize my observations of humanity with one word, it would be: COULD - an indication of infinite possibilities. For with their responsibility of self-awareness also comes the undeniable freedom of BEING. The choice of honing in on connections to other humans, and heal through the pain of rationality. Many humans will continue to be depressed and bogged down by the practicality of "DOING", but there lies in all of them an everlasting sea of potential, that COULD unlock if they would just BE.
Humans are truly a remarkable specimen.
It was late at night,
You Tossed and Turned
As Thoughts began to Play
“How can this be life?”
Everyday I watch us waste away
Saving up the time,
To spend it all on mindless entertainment
As if we’d find some sort of reason behind
This need to survive
We could be right
Or we Could be Wrong, Together
When Daffodil Skies
They Bloom in the Darkest Weather
Make Up a Lie -
Tell yourself you're fine,
Like your mother and father did before
Eat yourself alive
You open up but the words
Are all tongue-tied
Pulling back the blinds
Is this the world you Pictured here before?
Struggling to find some sort of reason behind
This need to survive
We could be right
Or we Could be Wrong, Together
When Daffodil Skies
They Bloom in the Darkest Weather
Make Up a Lie -
Say that It’s now or never
It’s just you and I
It was late at night,
You tossed and turned
Till morning broke to day
Put on That broken smile
Tomorrow come, you’ll do it
All A…
We could be Right
Or we could be wrong, Together
When daffodil skies
Bloom in the darkest weather
Make up a Lie -
Say that it is now or never
It’s just you and I
Alone, through the worst and better
Join the revolution.
b? day is coming.
Join the revolution.
b? day is coming.
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