Pacifist Philosophy is out now!
Image: Michelle Grace Hunder.
Naarm/Melbourne-based vocalist, rapper and songwriter MEGHNA has shared her new single, Pacifist Philosophy. To commemorate the release, the singer has shared with MILKY five ideas that inspired the songs anti-war message...
Pacifist Philosophy challenges the idea of human aggression. It is from the perspective of an individual who is exhausted from the repercussions of anger, but nevertheless understands on an animalistic level that it is extremely and shockingly easy to succumb to violent tendencies, especially when no one’s around. I wrote this track after witnessing many international conflicts and wars arise in the past few years. Why are we STILL so bad with dealing with our anger?
Here are 5 things and ideas I’ve learned or formulated which inspired the creation of Pacifist Philosophy and its anti-violence, anti-war message.
THERE IS NO INTERNATIONAL LEGAL COURT WHICH SOLVES DISPUTES WITH WAR-POTENTIAL
After seeing so many conflicts arise, I wondered— what practices are in place which stop States from resorting to war? Surely there is an international court of some kind, which creates legislation or hears world leaders, much like a regular court of law. NAH. There is no single Court which has insurmountable, international legal power to sanction reckless individuals from ‘pressing the red button’. Knowing that there was more we could do was so frustrating, so this feeling inspired the first musings of Pacifist Philosophy.
ARBITRATION
The first lyrics of Pacifist Philosophy played around with ‘dance battles’ and ‘verbal debates’ as a replacement of actual war, decided by a third-party judge. Although I changed these lyrics, (because they were way too wordy!), what I really meant here was arbitration. In law, we are often taught about legal arbitration— where a third-party is called in to resolve a dispute. Instead of resorting to violence, arbitration needs to be legally enforced.
HUMANITY IS TRAPPED IN A VICIOUS CYCLE OF ANGER—> VIOLENCE—> HURT
Anger is endemic to humans. Even so, after learning about trigger-happy leaders, and meeting your angry, average Joe, I’ve learnt that we are so awful in dealing with our anger. No matter how smart we get! I admit, I am no peaceful sage, but I do understand the way anger manifests. “Hold me back, ‘cause I like fighting […] it’s only human of me”. With these lyrics, Pacifist Philosophy understands this anger but challenges the way we deal with it. No one wants to see any more bloodshed. After all, “what’s lost will never be found”.
MUSIC UNITES US
My Father has always loved the Live Aid concerts and Bob Geldof’s work. He has always encouraged me to go into music advocacy. Most recently, he introduced me to an initiative called Playing for Change. I watched one and felt super emotional— we all have different inclinations and opinions. But music can evoke a similar feeling in each one of us. That’s our uniting thread. In writing Pacifist Philosophy, and all my songs for that matter, I hope to advocate for a more peaceful world.
A PEACEFUL WORLD IS NOT FAR OFF WITH THE NEXT GENERATION
To end this on a positive note, I believe that with time, and extreme effort, we could move on from war. With the advent of social media, there are countless burgeoning advocacy groups and pages which rally for war to be dismissed, and those that endeavour to teach how to better deal with anger and complex emotions. In Pacifist Philosophy, I close my eyes, and I “almost feel what peace feels like”. The fact that we dream about peace means it exists in some reality, somewhere.
Pacifist Philosophy is out now!