"Automatic"

I’m sitting here at my desk on a snow day from school and work, and I am only on my second article of my graduate homework when I’ve literally had the ENTIRE day to get ahead.  I don’t know what it is about this winter, but I just cannot seem to get into the groove of this graduate semester.  

But today, that’s okay.  Why?  

Because I just listened to Miranda Lambert’s new single, “Automatic,” for about the twenty-third time in a row.  

And I am happy. I am very happy. 

For one reason, I love Miranda Lambert and I love country music.  Music speaks volumes to me.  It is a passion of mine, and although I never pursued music like I wish I had, I connect to music and truly feel the raw emotion and inspiration so cathartically expressed by the artists.  

Miranda Lambert is probably one of my biggest idols in country music, if not my only true idol.  I have all of Miranda’s released albums and I do not think I’ve ever NOT liked one of her songs. 

That’s why, when “Automatic” was released today, I didn’t hesitate to listen to it the very first chance I got.  And of course, I loved it within the first ten seconds.  

If you have not heard the song, I highly suggest you do one simple thing.  Whether you are a country music fan or not, pull up Internet Explorer (or Safari or Firefox or whatever).  Type in YouTube in the URL address bar.  Type in Miranda Lambert automatic in the search bar.  Find the Audio file.  Click. Listen. And I mean, really, really listen.  Ponder it. Reflect.  Think.  Smile. Be happy. 

 The meaning behind the song is truly classic and just wonderful.  In fact, I sent the lyrics and a link to the song to my grandparents because I know they’ll appreciate this one. 

I think that’s why I love country music so much.  Not only is the music itself so engaging, captivating, moving, beautiful… but, coupled with the lyrics, the whole meaning of a song is artistically revealed and expressed.   Country music makes the world a better place.  It is so real.  So genuine.  So raw.  That’s something I always say, and I’m sure fans of other genres would just as willingly make the same claims about their favorite songs as well.  

But, let’s get back to “Automatic.” The song is about how life used to be “before everything became automatic.”  It speaks of the simple things that made life so wonderful: like putting quarters in a payphone, drying laundry on a line, rolling down windows—the kind with the cranks, recording music on a blank cassette, taking pictures with old cameras—you know, the kind where the picture would develop right out of the camera and we had to shake it for a clear picture to appear, writing letters and mailing them (did I not refer to this in my most recent blog about the genuine impression made on a hand written letter???) and then of course my favorite part—staying married meant working your problems out.  

And then the chorus really brings the entire song together:  “Hey whatever happened to waiting your turn and doing it all by hand?  Cuz’ when everything is handed to you it’s only worth the time put in.  It all just seems so good the way we had it, back before everything became automatic.”  

Now I know we live in a contemporary society that is ever evolving and technological advances make things seems so much more convenient.  And I’m not completely complaining. Technology and all these first world advancements can be really awesome and beneficial for normal routine responsibilities.  

On the contrary, however, societal evolution has also contributed to a lazy America.  If not that, we have come to rely on technology as a crutch for communication and other obligations.  

It was Albert Einstein who said “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” I’m not saying that technology—or all evolutionary happenings in society—has completely contributed to a dumb or lazy America, but it’s definitely had a hand in the matter.  

I’m also not saying that we should do away with technology or contemporary advancements because it is in fact beneficial.  But sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to live more simply.  

We have a quote in our house that reads, “Live Simply, laugh often.”  I think we need to consider how special our parents and grandparents lives were in a more simple, less self-centered society. 

 I often hear my grandparents and others alike commonly claim something like this:

“Your grandmother and I grew up in a time that when something was broke, we fixed it.”  That saying goes for both materialistic things as well as the intangible.  And that’s relationships.  

My favorite part of this song is where Miranda sings “Staying married was on the way to work your problems out.”  We have evolved into a society where divorce and infidelity are all too common.  We are too lazy to communicate and work hard—truly make an effort—to solve relational problems.  

I know so many couples who, after one big fight, call it quits.  Where’s the love in that??  If we truly love our partners, our spouses, let’s stick to the vows we make at the alter before we are so quick to rush into a divorce.  

Let me quickly interject at this moment my disclaimer that I DO NOT, by any means, think all divorce is wrong.  In light of many ethical disasters and serious relational issues, I realize that divorce is often warranted and necessary regarding some particular circumstances.  However, I stand by my statements that, in some cases, divorce may often just become the easy way out of trivial or petty issues.  

And, even in a contemporary America, where everything has become so automatic, perhaps we should consider living simply—even among the advancements and commonalities all around us.  We might even learn to respect and love others, as well as ourselves, so, so much more.  

Live simply. Laugh often. Love deeply.  

~Elizabeth