31 - The Longest Song in the World
I went to Melbourne Grammar School from Year 1 to 8; it's an Anglican school, which meant we had chapel, but also that we had R.A.V.E (Religious and Values Education) and just straight R.E (Religious Education) at different times throughout our schooling. I actually really liked chapel because it was an excuse to sing - hymns are easy, predictable, and a good exercise in sight-reading.
I'm not a religious person, but I would still have to attend chapel and those religious education sessions (it was mandatory). I didn't really mind - it was interesting to see it from a perspective where I just wasn't really invested. What I did appreciate from the R.E. classes was that Christianity wasn't the only religion that was taught. We had to explore different religions from around the world - Islam, Judaism, Hinduism etc. but the one that resonated with me most was Buddhism.
For the rest of the religions, it was an interesting study - we didn't really get far with any of them other than the surface level - but learning about Buddhism was eye-opening for me because in Eastern culture, there are a lot of different Buddhas that are depicted - some sitting, some lying down, some underneath a tree, some fat, some thin; myriad combinations. I didn't understand them until that point. Now, at least I know the story of what the actual Buddha did (bodhi tree and all).
Meditation comes easy to me...I think. I don't know if I'm doing it correctly, or maybe I just have no thoughts in my head anyway, so I didn't have to try too hard with it. I once naively thought that I had achieved nirvana in Year 8 because I had totally cleared my mind HAHA.
Watch out y'all I'm E N L I G H T E N E D.
But in trying to find out more about Buddhism, I stumbled across a website that I cannot for the life of me find any more. It was a old-school HTML website that purported to be playing the Longest Song in the World - a computer generated song, written by a Buddhist priest that had some sort of computer science background (lol) that was apparently going to go on for forever. The sounds were of gongs, of bells, of synthesised strings and tones, and they were designed to never repeat in the same combination together. The phrasing of the music made it so that they would never overlap in the same way (thus could not be accused of just repeating the same phrases over and over again).
Essentially, it was designed to go on for infinity (or as long as the website was online).
I remember being fascinated by the idea, and I instantly turned it on. I kept the music on, flowing through my room as I went about my daily activities, bathing in the droning sounds of bells, gongs and strings. I think there was part of me that wanted to listen to it for as long as possible, as if absorbing more of the same sounds would somehow help me...be better? Ascend to Buddha-hood?
But after I had kept it on for about a week (literally 24/7), and my Windows update was nagging me to actually restart...I realised - wow, one day I'm not going to be able to listen to all of this. I'm going to have to turn it off because of a power outage, or I accidentally shut down my computer, or my internet stops...and in the entire projected span of this song, I've only really listened to an insignificant sliver of this wondrous piece of music.
A week's worth of an infinite song...
Think about that. If this song really went on for infinity, you're really only listening to the teensiest part of the entire song. Granted, it's going to be repetitive and boring, but it's still the LONGEST SONG IN THE WORLD! And you only get to experience part of it!
This was heresy to me - I had been in choirs, and orchestras - there's a start, there's an end - you sit through the whole thing and try not to fall asleep. I wanted to listen to the whole thing in its entirety! In what world would you come halfway through a concert, listen to a few minutes of it, and then leave?! (In other news I've never second-acted a musical or a play. What's the point?)
It was a fascinating insight for me as a young, impressionable teenager - what we are, and what we experience, is determined by perspective. You can enjoy things in the moment, but your experience is part of a much bigger whole. It isn't useful to worry about what came before, or what's coming ahead - be present, now, and enjoy what you can.
I'll be honest, turning off the song made me a little sad, but I was happy I'd listened to at least some of it (even though it was pretty boring and very monk-like). Part of my life intersected with this infinite song, and I probably won't ever be able to hear it again.
Imagine what else your life has intersected with that you'll never experience again?
A bit of a melancholy exploration into the depths of the internet because of Buddhism - a pretty profound lesson, no?
P.S. I can't find the site any more - let me know if you find it!
Chat soon :)
✔️ Real Life Recommendations
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Nine Billion Names of God - on the note about computer science monks, here's a short story from Arthur C. Clarke about some monks who tried to programmatically write the nine billion names of God. What happens when they finish? (This is kind of a cheat in terms of real life recommendations, but it's a story so I think it counts!)
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Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performances - I have a MUSO subscription that I want to take advantage of - if you want to go get some #culture let me know and I can get some cheaper tickets to some of the great music events that are happening all around us :D
🚌 Adventures on the Information Super-Highway
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The effect of coronavirus on air pollution - China shutting down their economy has led to a sharp decrease in air pollution. These satellite images are fascinating in how clearly they show what's happening!
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The physics of tossing fried rice - look, this is a weird one, but I just like the fact that some scientists went to the effort of categorizing and analysing how fried rice is cooked. And the technique required to replicate it (i.e. with a robot in the future).
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Every melody possible generated algorithmically for fair use purposes - to highlight the absurdity of similar melodies that can be sued for under copyright, a pair of musicians programmed every melody possible, and uploaded it to the public domain. They purport that melodies can't be sued for ever again, but tbh I don't think that's how copyright works...I'll have to crack open my law books again to confirm!
🌱 The Calathea Corner
Oh Feleafcia you are such a beauty - the pattern on the leaves looks like a plant within a plant!
