Sometimes I have a word that stays with me for a while. It can be because I've heard it in a song and I thought it was beautiful, or maybe it's about something that a person told me and I resonated with. The same thing happened for me with the word "melancholy". Three years back I went to an art exposition with melancholy as it's theme. It was a beautiful collection of paintings, sculptures and video clips. It was beautiful, but at the same moment very sad and dark. Melancholy is a word that's not often used or talked about. It's about a state of deep sadness, a gloomy state of mind. Though, I like the following definition the most:
sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.
Melancholy isn't a disease that needs to be cured. It's a species of sadness that occurs when we open ourselves up to the thought that reality isn't always about cheerfulness, but that suffering disappointment is a big part of our universal experience. It's a very honest word. It's about admitting that our life isn't always as easy as we want it to be. It's hard to find a financially and emotionally rewarding job, it's hard to stay connected with friends and family, we don't have that perfect relationship the movies projected, and greed and power is in control of the big picture. Having a hard time isn't unusual, and that's okay.
Being able to admit the fact that the world can be a sad, dark place, doesn't imply that it's accompanied by feelings of anger and distraught. The wisdom of the melancholy attitude makes us understand that the sorrow isn't just about us. We aren't alone with it, but it belongs to humanity in general, to the way life unfolds itself to us. Understanding that is the path to acceptance. These facts shouldn't make us desperate, but rather more kinder and forgiving. It can be a possibility to focus on what really matters: make the best of the time we have left, not mourn for the time we've lost.
I personally always try to link a word with a deeper meaning to music. I love the explanation/mindset behind the word "melancholy" and because of that I go search for music that lets me come closer to the feeling of the word, like when I would play clocks from Coldplay when I hear the word nostalgia. Melancholy for me is linked to "Love will tear us apart" by Joy Division. Ian Curtis, the frontman of Joy Division, committed suicide at the age of 23. The live shows by this group were always in a very dark setting since Ian was epileptic. This, is combination with the dreamy, slow music and the tragic death of Ian makes this scenery a very melancholic whole for me. The sadness of it all makes it almost artistic to me.
As always thanks for reading. Let me know what you think about this topic in the comments. How do you think about melancholy? How do you cope with it?
See you next time!
