"In Which We Live In"

     "Rock got no reason, rock got no rhyme." With these immortal worlds, Jack Black articulated one of the unspoken consensuses among songwriters: one does not simply use good grammar in rock n' roll. And that's absolutely the way musicians live. As long as the point comes across, you don't even need to sing in complete sentences and it's completely all right. As both an English major and a songwriter, I think I can objectively say that music typically sounds better without a strict grammatical structure. Some level of coherency, say above a fifth grade reading level, is appreciated, but beyond that is not absolutely necessary—and not just appreciated, but often times preferred over lyrics with proper usage. In fact, I think the only time I've heard a rock song with a blatantly correct lyric (on a complicated principle) is a number by West of London, an 80's band led by my uncle, David Mizera, and we had this on cassette, so I don't know the name, but I think it's "Falling in Love Again." At one point, Uncle David sings, "She knows to whom I belong," and it sounds fantastic! But as a general rule, unless you can make it work flawlessly, don't stress about it. Rock got no reason.
     But songwriters who don't have a handle on grammar try to sound elite and sophisticated, and there's one example that always stands out in my mind: in 1973, Paul McCartney wrote the song in which we live in..." etc. What we see here is the classic attempt at not ending a sentence with a preposition (the first "in") and then immediately forgetting how one began the phrase (the second "in"). Only the first or the second is necessary, and in music, the second version, though grammatically incorrect, is probably preferable. But he says both. This happens a lot in speech, forgetting what we've said just moments before (somebody just texted me yesterday saying, "With who we meet with"), but I love how Paul had this written down and still said it. Classic Paul.
"Live and Let Die" for the James Bond movie of the same name. Gun n' Roses later covered it, and then Paul McCartney released it again, so a lot of people think that Gun n' Roses was the original, but no, it was Paul. Still, he makes me laugh. Most people know how it begins: "When you were young and your heart was an open book, you used to say, 'Live and let live.'" But in the next line, Paul goes for the grammar win and...loses: "If this ever-changing world
     I think the biggest reason for this type of error is an overcompensation of trying to sound smart, using language over which one doesn't have complete command. We want to sound intelligent, but we don't actually know what we're doing. Honestly, this is pretty much how we all act all the time, and that can be a very good thing; that's how we progress, how we innovate. A desire to be more than what we are is a wonderful thing and, at least in my mind, a manifestation of our divine potential to inherit all that the Father has, including power, wisdom, and knowledge. If we want to grow, we have to take risks; however, those risks should be calculated, moderate risks, at least most of the time. Sometimes, I guess, we have to launch into the unknown or we don't really have a choice but to do the hard thing. But for the most part, although we have to risk falling if we ever want to ride a bicycle, we don't have to make our first ride gunning it down a mountain trail on a brake-less bike, hitting jumps and sharp turns, all the while not wearing a helmet. That would be...well...if you can't say anything nice...impractical.

     Being an adult, or "adulting" as we now say (and I'm okay with that), is difficult. As we also say, the struggle is real. We (my peers and I) seem to find ourselves constantly in situations that challenge, confuse, and/or frighten us. We have to study, work, and date. On a more daunting note, we have to pick a major, set the foundation of a career, and form a family. So much depends on what we decide now, and because we still have to decide and/or follow through on these things, we have little idea of what our future holds. Therefore, we take risks. We take leaps of faith. We step blindly into the darkness. If all goes well, we survive. Like riding a bike, we experience falls as we take normal and essential risks. But like Paul, sometimes we overstep ourselves. That's okay as long as we're willing to deal with the problem, but the issue is when we either take no measures toward improvement or we pretend that we doing just as well or even better than those around us.
     This makes me think of some friends who are in thousands of dollars of student debt, eating out frequently and bragging about their salary, which they blow on frivolity while they accumulate more and more debt. This is less like bombing the hill on a bike and more similar to jumping off the mountain entirely. Some people don't know how to live responsibly, and it's sad to watch that happen. But as long as people insist on feigning intelligence, wealth, or talent, there's little anyone can do to help someone who won't help himself.
     None of us is immune from the principle. Even if we're not overstepping ourselves now, we could in the future, and a false sense of security will inhibit our ability to recognize that. And as we go along in this life, we're meant to reach out to others  and reassure them that we're there for them regardless of their circumstances and especially if they're struggling. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, "As things unfold, sometimes in full view, let us be merciful with each other. We certainly do not criticize hospital patients amid intensive care for looking pale and preoccupied. Why then those recovering from surgery on their souls? No need for us to stare; those stitches will finally come out. And in this hospital, too, it is important for everyone to remember that the hospital chart is not the patient. Extending our mercy to someone need not wait upon our full understanding of their challenges! Empathy may not be appreciated or reciprocated, but empathy is never wasted" (Maxwell, "Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds"). So as we go along, let's be kind and remember that everyone, including ourselves, frequently makes mistakes.
     This isn't meant to scare anyone, so sorry if it has. I love life. This time of life is difficult, but I love it, too. Taking risks can be fun if they're kept in check. The purpose of this post is to encourage you to go forth and conquer, taking calculated risks and enjoying life. Don't be afraid of "this ever-changing world in which we live in (sic)." Take it, run with it, and live and let die.

Here's an instructive message about taking risks and making wrong decisions. It's not always a bad thing.