Theory of Two Songs

Our brain is usually indulging in at least two logical thoughts at any time - a foreground thought and a background thought. An awareness of these thoughts can help achieve a delicate balance in our life.

A foreground thought is the task that our mind and body are actively working on. A background thought is the intermittent excursion of the subconscious mind to wander through the dream world. These thoughts could represent one of the multiple priorities in our life, such as family, love, work, passion or ambitions. At any point of time, we can realistically work on only two of these things, and the mind has to switch between them. There is often a conflict of these priorities, leading to arguments and struggles in our life. How do we train the mind to achieve an equilibrium between the foreground and the background priorities of life?

Let’s do a thought experiment to understand how to address this intricate mind problem. This is something that I have actually done, and eventually led to this theory. Say you have only two songs in your music playlist. These two songs should represent two emotions, which help you focus on any two priorities of your life. Let’s choose love and work to be the two emotions. Now, pick your favorite motivational song which drives you to overcome challenges in your work or follow your passion. Next, pick a second song that reminds you about a person you love, and touches you deeply in a romantic way. Every time you listen to it, you are able to focus on the person you love the most in your life.

Now that you have a playlist setup with the two songs, listen to it in a loop in your free time, like when you are commuting to work or relaxing on the weekends. If you selected the right songs, they will bring out the inner emotions in your mind. As you listen engrossed in the words, the romantic song should flashback the special moments with your loved one. You would be able to analyze your behavior with him or her - the good and the bad. Thus, you are able to devote some of your brain time to the love of your life.

While you walk through the wonderland, the song finishes and the music player immediately moves to the next song in the playlist. You snap out of the thoughts with the strong tunes of inspiration and enthusiasm. The second song would make focus on your work, dreams, and passion in life. Your mind would have to quickly change the feelings and think about your ambition or a hidden passion that you were never able to follow. You will feel stimulated to accomplish your goals and fulfill your pending plans.

The cycle continues iteratively, and your mind keeps swapping between the two ideas. Initially, it is possible that you are only focusing on one of the two priorities. But as you connect with the two songs over time, it would help to attain a balance in the two emotions of your life. It would ensure you are not neglecting your personal relationships with family and friends due to your work. At the same time, you would try to dedicate time your work and passion. Once you master the art, you can replace the two songs with new ones representing different emotions. This game of two songs will assure that your mind is well-trained to control your sentiments.

The Theory of Two Songs is a method to coach your mind to efficiently focus on the right priorities of your life for the appropriate amount of time using the power of music. The spontaneous transition between different thoughts helps to maximize the sporadic moments of free time in our busy lives. A healthy mind is the key ingredient for a wholesome life! 😊