Emotional Pro

My morning paper [West County Times, Contra Costa County, California] has an article about singer India.Arie. It states: “But those who pick up her latest album, ‘Testimony, Vol. 1: Life & Relationship,’ won’t hear any of the bitterness she once harbored. Instead, in what has become India.Arie’s philosophy, she manages to find the positive, even in a devastating split [from what she thought would be her lifetime love’]. Instead of songs about a no-good man or falling into despair, India sings about the power of forgiveness, the appreciation of past relationship and even learning to love being alone.
“‘If you don’t learn your lessons, then you are only hurting yourself,’ says the 30-year-old singer…..” India’s ability to dig deep has paid off big commercially, earning the Grammy winner her first No. 1 album debut. The article continues “I keep trying to explain to people, it’s not about being unscathed. I’m not unscathed. That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. Obviously, I’ve been heart-broken. We all know what that feels like….But the thing about it is that I chose to take the time to dive really deep to understand the lessons instead of sitting on the surface and blaming. I don’t want to be bitter. I want to learn how to live better and better and better.”
Why does India.Arie make this protesting statement? Because many critics are calling her “a bit too optimistic”! New York Dail News critic Jim Farber “complained that ‘you can’t get through a single stanza of her lyrics without being harrangued with some lesson or encouragement, served up for our own good.”’
Apparently, people are so devoted to their own anger, non-forgiveness and misery that they cannot stand to hear about learning lessons, feeling good, forgiving, and moving on! What a comment on our society! One mother is reported to have said that “while she’d prefer her daughter to listen to India instead of Beyonce, listeners didn’t want to hear her message on the radio!” To quote India.Arie, “that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Actually, and unfortunately, it isn’t, really. Almost all human beings are devoted to the status quo, even if it is pure misery! Usually we have to be in so much pain we finally realize it might not be any worse if we change, in order for us to make personal change. India shows us a different way….
Misery is entertaining. Learning lessons, forgiving, finding a positive way through life, etc., is not entertaining!
I think “Born to Learn” may have a tough, uphill climb!
The article concludes: “Besides, what drives India are the things that are not trendy, but everlasting. It’s one of the reasons she didn’t put any angry emotions on her album, though she was feeling them. Her frustration was temporary; the lessons she learned were permanent.” India herself concludes: “I want to always be classy and honest, and I always want to have fun with music, and if I can’t really express who I am through my music, then it’s not really fun anymore.”
India.Arie, I’m going to buy your new album, Girl! Here is a woman who wants to sing to the world about learning lessons from life’s “problems,” wants to love and forgive, wants to live from her Soul Essence, and wants to tell the world about making permanent change. Perhaps I should ask if we can use some of her music on our radio show!