Inspiration-a word I
previously found difficult to associate with anything in my relatively short-uneventful
life span. Although I fully comprehend that individuals such as Gandhi or
Martin Luther King have almost single-handedly changed the world for the better
and thus become inspiring to people of all races and religions all over the
world, their lack of affiliation with myself means that I obtain almost a sense
of guilt knowing that I can’t write about how they have inspired me. Instead
for this task, I have chosen something more abstract and unique that I believe
has inspired me-the 2003 worldwide hit ‘Where is the love?’. Although, the Black Eyed Peas solely released
this record to try and be a force in the weekly charts, it has lyrics which are
deeply relevant to today’s criminal world as well as to myself.
The song is simply genius. It
has the ability to, not only show listeners the issues the world is facing
today, but also to , inspire and motivate you to make a difference. In the
first verse of this track, Will.i.am says how he thinks the “whole world is
addicted to the drama, only attracted to things that’ll bring you trauma”,
these lines got me deeply thinking and helped me realise that the news we see
on our televisions, in the newspapers and magazines is always negative and continually
has the intention to cause drama or hurt to one/a group of people. This idea is
fortified when later on in the song, when there are the lines “Wrong
information always shown by the media , Negative images is the main criteria,
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria.” Therefore ,despite not
implicitly saying this, I believe Will.i.am is trying to encourage us in this
instance to try and look for the good things in the world, rather than always
the negatives, and this mind-set will eventually bring positive outcomes.
Furthermore, another phrase in
the song that really hooked my attention is when , on line 10 , it is said “If
you have only love for your own race, then you only leave space to
discriminate, and to discriminate only generates hate”. The reason that, I took
full notice of this expression is because nowadays we constantly see examples
of bullying, discrimination and racism, and the reason this is the case is
because people are completely unwilling to accept the unknown. This behaviour
is a disgrace and should never be accepted in society or anywhere for that
matter. However, this song motivates you to make a difference and to stand up
to these people who, through their own naivety, are causing unfathomable
problems for countless others.
In addition, the chorus of
this anthem repeats the remark “Where is the love?”. The pure simplicity of
this question forces you to question everything about the world today. Is there
any happiness? Are people always looking for people to fail? Is the media
always trying to cause hurt to others? This phrase , ultimately convinces you that at this moment
is time there is very little “love “ in the world and that this has to change
urgently otherwise the world will be held hostage by “discrimination” , ”hate”
and “terrorism”. Therefore, the chorus in itself is inspiring, as it goes to
the heart of the problems in today’s world and subtlety encourages you to make
a change or otherwise the consequences will be traumatic.
In conclusion , I believe that
the tune “Where is the love?” has inspired me throughout my life, as it has
told me to not always go by the norms of society and to question if you think
that something is completely wrong in spite of what other people believe. Additionally,
this song has inspired me as it has showed me to look for the positives in life
rather than always thinking that the ‘so-called glass is half empty’; as this
positive outlook on life will be imitated by others and can eventually lead to
a happier world that we live in.
