Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Are we human or are we dancer?


Yes, you read that right. When I first saw the lyrics yesterday morning in my cultural anthropology class, I thought there was a typo. It should say “dancers” not “dancer,” right? Wrong. Here is an excerpt from the song by The Killers:

Pay my respects to grace and virtue

Send my condolences to good

Hear my regards to soul and romance

They always did the best they could

 

And so long to devotion

You taught me everything I know

Wave goodbye, wish me well

You've gotta let me go

 

Are we human or are we dancer?

My sign is vital, my hands are cold

And I'm on my knees looking for the answer

Are we human or are we dancer?

Many people figured it was a typo due to the artists’ poor English and just enjoyed the song, but not for its intended purpose. If we truly listen to what the entire song is saying, we will discover that the question The Killers pose is a rather deep one. Are we human or are we dancer? Are we truly experiencing life and all it has to offer or are we going through the motions like a puppet on strings?

They cause us to think about what we are doing with our day-to-day lives. What in our lives has such a control over us that we forget to enjoy life itself? Maybe it’s our goal of getting straight A’s, an obsession with sports, a high value on personal image, the want for money and power… The list could go on forever. This cycle isn’t one that is easy to break, and sometimes it is almost impossible. What we can do, though, is remember what makes us enjoy life and what we can do to remind others of those same things. This could mean going on a random Sonic run with a friend, putting true passion into our chapter service project, or just taking a moment to sit outside with Mother Nature and breathe.

I challenge you to consider, are you human or are you dancer? If you’re dancer, what are you going to do to become human? If you’re human, what are you going to do to help others be human? This task will be simple for some, but harder for others. This next week, some of us will be given the chance to be “human” while at National Convention. Members from across the nation, all with different backgrounds, will be coming together in Louisville. Let’s make the most of that opportunity as well as the ones we encounter every day!


Kansas FFA, are we human or are we dancer?

(To hear the entire song, here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4jR9P9YJGo)