A couple of weeks back, my family and I saw Switchfoot, in concert. I was very excited, as Switchfoot is very possibly my favorite band, and I hadn’t been to one of their concerts since I was in college. Back then, I was so crazy for the band. I have pictures of myself with the band members, autographs from all of them (including one on the drummer’s drumstick), and I talked my way into going backstage once to get Jon Foreman to sign a CD.
They were great this time around as well, and to boot, Jon Foreman roamed through the stadium and came within a few rows of us.
They of course sang their most famous song, Meant to Live, which was released at the height of their popularity several years ago.
Fumbling his confidence
And wondering why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he’s meant for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
I’m person who responds to those stories where a normal individual (or even one who is below average) is transformed into something more. Although these characters might be affected by some supernatural event, their growth is usually the result of a response to something – whether positive or negative.
Naruto is a good example. The village pariah, Naruto Uzumaki eventually becomes the village hero. It starts when others begin to give him a chance and to show him love, and it continues as a response to all this goodwill and Naruto’s determination to love others.
That other super popular shonen series, Bleach, also aligns with this idea. Ichigo constantly moves forward, through pain and hardship, to fight for those he loves. He responds not for himself, but on behalf of others, like his family, his friends, and Rukia. Ichigo goes against an unending wave of foes seemingly more powerful than he, but becomes more than he is as he defeats them.
Our own lives are far from a shonen series, but we, too, are capable of living for so much more. The key, as with Naruto and Ichigo, is love. As we love others more than ourselves, we begin to do things greater than ourselves. And while it’s not that simple for those who’ve been down for so long, the key remains the same (though I would also add that adding the more-than-reciprocal love of God in the equation is a considerable addition).
Have you lost yourself? Are you lost in yourself?
With love, you can begin to change. Remember: we were meant to live for so much more.
That’s awesome! I bet they were great live. It’s so cool that you got to meet them~!
I never really got into Bleach, but Naruto has always been one of my favorite animes. I think a key point in Naruto is before Naruto made a lot of friends and many people began to show him love, Iruka gave him a chance. He didn’t push him away and label him as a bad kid or a failure of a student. He took the time to know Naruto and understand what he had to go through every day. Iruka was the first one to show him love, and the first to bring out Naruto’s true potential when Mizuki tricked him. Naruto realized it was up to hm to save Iruka. He had to put Iruka’s safety before his own, and by doing that, began to really progress and become a ninja.
Thanks for bringing up Iruka – I always forget about what an impact he makes on Naruto. Really, his belief in him is the beginning of Naruto’s journey.
Glad to hear you had such a nice time at the Switchfoot concert; it’s been awhile since I’ve heard Switchfoot’s music. I used to watch VH1 all the time when I was in middle school and it heavily influenced my musical tastes; who could guess at the time that I would become a diehard metal fan once I was an adult? Music has long been a big part of my recreation and is the reason for my name which I post under at this blog [named for the band Scar Symmetry’s 2008 album Holographic Universe].
Also, nice job relating the lyrics to anime; while reading this blog entry and looking at the lyrics you posted, I thought Ichigo’s training throughout Bleach would be brought up somewhere.
Thanks for the kind words. And yes, it would have been apt to bring up Ichigo’s endless training.
Music is so significant to so many people. I find that I’m not as immersed in music as many of my friends, but it’s still important to me. Like you, my username is derived from music: TWWK is shorthand for “The World We Know,” which is modified from the Collective Soul song, “The World I Know.”
Love me some switchfoot, even the remixes. Never seen them live though 🙁 Had a few opportunities since they’ve done concerts near Miami, but yeah…one day! The new album Fading West is one of their best. Didn’t like the album before Vice Verses though…except for Oh, Gravity (the song).
Their new album was great, and yes, “Oh, Gravity” was not a particularly good album. I haven’t heard their new one yet, though!
You gotta here it. Best songs are “Love is worth the fight” and “Who we are” in my opinion 🙂