Mad World

I first came across this song while watching an Xbox commercial for a particular game that Microsoft was endorsing. I am not sure as to what attracted me to this song other than its sad and lonely style. While listening to it, it was as if the words reached down into my heart and pulled out all of my insecurities, hurts and depressed feelings that I had ever felt throughout my life. I don’t consider myself to be a lonely person and yet I was caught off guard by the way I felt while listening to the song. Maybe I am not as secure as I thought. It was certainly not one of the happier songs that I enjoy but there was something so haunting in it that I just had to stop and take note.

Later on, while reading the lyrics, I couldn’t help but picture what message that the song writer was trying to paint in our mind. I had yet to see the video that went along with this video but I could imagine that in it, a boy would be standing alone on a crowded sidewalk while watching the throngs passed him without even knowing he was even there. Such a lonely feeling!

While listening to the second verse, I imagined this same young boy sitting alone in a class full of students and yet being ignored by those around him including his teacher. Again, such a lonely feeling!

Throughout our society today, there are millions of lonely people spread out amongst the billions of others around them and yet, the unbearable feeling of loneliness that they experience is a cruel and crushing reminder of how one can feel so alienated in a fast moving world we live in.

If we would just stop for a moment and look around us, we would quickly see these individuals in our homes, schools and work places. When an opportunity arises, take time to walk by and observe children in your neighbourhood schoolyard and you would immediately see those children sitting by themselves while those around them are busy playing with their friends. If we would simply take the time to filter out the schoolyard noises and take time to listen to the silence of the lonely we could at least get a glimpse of the loneliness that they are experiencing.

While at work, if we would just take the time to look at those lonely people around us instead of worrying about looking at our watches, smoking our cigarettes, drinking our coffee or flirting with our co-workers, we would get a glimpse of what it would be like if we were the ones on the other side of the fence. The grass is not always greener on the other side.

These feelings of isolation, loneliness and invisibility can be very depressing and with the masses walking by the lonely on the crowded sidewalks of our lives without even a glimpse towards the one standing alone can be a crushing experience to them as they watch the others rush by.

Sometimes we need to “stop and smell the coffee.” We need to become empathetic individuals by taking the time to look out for our fellow man and help them feel that they too are important as well.

Sometimes we just need to show that we care… How difficult can that be?

Just a thought.

Mad World
by
Gary Jules

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Enlarging your world
Mad World.