I came upon an interesting piece of content this morning. It was this one son of a famous deceased rock star discussing how the music industry had really changed. How now, pretty much all of the music one wants to listen to is free. From this, the relationship between the musician and their fans, or their generalized audience, has diminished. I think that’s very true. No longer does the fan go out, seek-and-find and then buy that piece of vinyl, that CD, that cassette, or that 8-track. Now, all one has to do is search it on their phone. And it’s there. From this, a certain interrelationship, a certain seek-and-find mentality, has been removed.
 
Certainly, this dates the individual who made those statements. Because, times have truly changed. Do the young people of today actually care about things like that very special piece of vinyl that you looked forever to find, and then when you finally did obtain it, it was a great boon to add it to your collection? No longer are things such as that treasured possessions. Music is simply available. It’s out there everywhere. Even musical pieces found only on those rare pieces of vinyl can pretty much be instantly located on the internet. From this, no longer is the quest required.
 
Yes, that quest is something from a different era. But, that quest is also a delineation of life. It defines what a person truly desires. It makes that quest part of their existence. Thus, once that something is found, it becomes a cherished item. Gone is all of that.
 
Now, we can certainly argue that possessions are a thing that holds one back. And, the seeking of them can cause one to lose their peace, and perhaps diminish their bank account. As The Buddha so aptly proclaimed, “The cause of suffering is desire.” And, this goes to all areas of life.
 
With something removed, one becomes, for lack of a better word, more holy. Certainly, they become less defined by the seeking of possessions. Yet, in all of this, every human being desires something. Whether that certain something is the inner knowing that you really love a specific musical group, a certain type of music, or that special song, (or something along those lines), and you strive to obtain it. Or, something much more profoundly complex, like enlightenment, that is all defined solely by the mind of the individual.
 
But, let’s face facts, how many people truly care about spirituality? Care about it on a truly internal level? Answer, very few. Most, are simply defined by their desires. Thus, all of this simply defines the fact that the desires of this time are different from desires of another time. Nothing new in all of that.
 
All of this is just something very depictive of the times where we live. Desires have changed. Yes, the relationship between a music creator and their fans has evolved into where we find it now. No longer is a person internally defined by owning that very specific piece of music, in a physical form, that truly speaks to them. Now, it’s all out there. Swirling around in that space, no one can really define, known as the internet. And yes, it is free.
 
So, where does this leave us? I guess the question comes down to where does this leave you? Because we all are very different entities. We each desire what we desire, all defined by what we consider to the cornerstone of our life.
 
In all of this, is something lost or is something gained? That’s the ultimate question that can only be answered by the individual. But, in all of these changing times, it has come to redefine what makes the creator of anything more important or less important than the listener, the viewer, the absorber?
 
As AI takes control over our existence. And, if anyone doubts that its insanely fast growth will not take control over everything very quickly, stop lying to yourself. As everything becomes free. Who gets paid.
 
Throughout the millennia, the creators have always found their way to touch the hearts and the inner beings of those who absorbed their art. Once upon a time, the absorber had to seek it out. Sometimes travel far and look very hard to get anywhere close to capturing a glimpse. Now, it’s right in front of your face. It’s given to you for free. AI is taking over the world. The Internet already has. So, what will be left? What will the creator actually mean? What will the supporters of a creator actually equal?
 
Times have changed. That’s just reality. With all change in times, something is lost, and hopefully something is gained. But, the main thing to remember, whenever something is lost, something is lost. When it is lost, it may never be found again.

What possessions do your seek? And now, if they are all free and readily available, what does you possessing them mean to the creator of that creative something?