Taking Refuge in Music

After having written my most recent post on how listening to music exercises our capacity to establish "sensory order," it occurred to me that the act of listening has become sort of a refuge for me. Whether I am reading about military brutality in corners of the world that I had long disregarded or agonizing over the general failure of governance, not just here in the United States but on a global scale, it occurred to me that listening to music may be one of the few domains in which I can put constructive thought to use without agonizing over prevailing conditions or their consequences. This may be self-indulgence; but at least it does not harm, which is more than can be said of the self-indulgent practices of those in authority, whether that authority is military or political.