‘Fix This Mess’ isn’t a political song, but it gets to the heart of how we begin the healing process in this increasingly divided and fractured world. And the answer seems so simple when you get down to such fundamental truths as being delivered here.
As the people of the world seem increasingly hell-bent on destroying anyone who doesn’t see things their way, as political discourse and debate are replaced by a war of words…and worse, Rebecca Aadland suggests that the answers aren’t to be found in the popularists and policy makers, the would-be movers and the wannabe shakers, but in simpler pleasures. Do the things that make you happy, revel in the small stuff, surround yourself with people you love.
You can’t change the world, but you can create your own small corner of it to live in; you can change your priorities, shift your focus; you can cocoon yourself in the small, the simple, and the serendipitous. You can find a way to make yourself happy. Perhaps if we all did that, we would build a more solid, more compassionate base from which to work; perhaps through such pay-it-forward, trickle-up attitudes we might build a world based on love rather than hate.
And like the sentiment found on ‘Fix This Mess’, the sonics are similarly wrought of integrity and authenticity: delicate guitar notes cascade and tumble; her words ring out clear, a simple message for a complex problem; beats are gentle, basses gently pulse, and a sweet violin line wanders like a second vocal through the song.
Maybe we don’t try to fix the problem; maybe we focus on the things that we hold dear, the things that really matter, the things we can actually change: not the politics of hate and division and money and power and greed, but connection and compassion and love. And if that seems idealistic…why not try it anyway? What’s the worst that could happen? As a famous man once said, “What’s so funny ‘bout peace, love and understanding?”
