From Soundtrack of my Semester
STOP: Thanks for stopping by! Today's entry is about the song "Love is the Movement" by Switchfoot.
PLAY:
A day in LA and millions of faces/ Are looking for movement/ 'Cause everything's stuck/ and everything's frozen/ and everyone's broken/ And nobody moves/ And everyone's scared/ That the motion will never come.
This is the incompletion/ It's bigger than life
Love is the movement/ Love is the revolution/ This is redemption/ We don't have to slow back down
The stars are alive/They dance to the music/ Of the deepest emotion/And all of the world/ Is singing in time/ As the heavens are caving in/ Mysterious ways/ Why God gave His life/ To put motion inside my soul
It's bigger than cold religion/ It's bigger than life
Love is the movement/ Love is the revolution/ This is redemption/ We don't have to slow back down.
We're starting now/ We don't have to slow back down
Love is the movement/ Love is a revolution/ This is redemption/ We don't have to slow back down.
This is a revolution
Get up, get up/ Love is moving you now.
PAUSE: This song was written by Switchfoot and has been used in a campaign for To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA). TWLOHA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to hope and awareness for people facing depression, self-mutilation, and suicide. The organization originally was started to help fund a friend's treatment for depression and alcoholism. They sold t-shirts to friends, including the bands Switchfoot and Anberlin, with the motto "To Write Love On Her Arms." Their hope was that those who lost hope would write love on their arms instead of cutting. As more people discovered TWLOHA a need was discovered. Many people expressed that they were also struggling with depression, and that they were not getting help. Suicide is most commonly caused by untreated depression. TWLOHA became an online community determined to let the world know that hope and love exist, and that "rescue is possible."
From Soundtrack of my Semester
To spread awareness, TWLOHA sponsors "Write Love on Your Arms Day" several times a year. Today I participated in honor of National Suicide Prevention Week.
REWIND: Depression is terrifying. I cannot imagine losing all hope. I have been close though, and I know that the love of my friends and family kept me going. I've never contemplated ending my life, but the thought is becoming more and more common in the world today. It is estimated that one person dies from suicide every 40 seconds. EVERY 40 SECONDS! Most cases of suicide are caused by depression. Something needs to be done to fix this.
The common "adult" opinion that I have heard is that suicide is the result of oversensitivity. Teenagers, they say, just need to suck it up and deal with their problems. This attitude doesn't help the cause. Suicide and Depression is not just a problem teenagers and young adults face; it is a problem humanity faces. I've had a friend call me, distraught, and tell me she didn't have a reason to live. It was one of the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with. Luckily she calmed down. Still, people need to know that help is available. There is always hope. My mission is to spread love. I cannot prevent suicide on my own, but I can show love. You never know what someone is going through, or how your love will affect someone. The song talks about love that stems from religion. My goal to love is from a deeper love found in Jesus Christ. That is how I know that love and hope always exist. No matter what your faith system you follow, you can love. You can start a movement that doesn't have to slow down!
Visit TWLOHA's website and learn more.
You've came up with an awesome concept for your blog, Katy. Stop, Play, Pause, Rewind - very clever.
I've not heard this song before, but the lyrics are quite meaningful. It harkens back to the Beatles' "All You Need is Love" message. I especially liked the line that says, "It's bigger than cold religion." Raised in a religious environment, I've struggled with the notion of "religion" vs. "God" my whole life and would agree that religion more often than not merits the word cold. I thought the word choice was perfectly simplistic in nailing that trait.
Thanks for sharing this song, I'll be listening for more.
Thanks, April! The reason I love Switchfoot, is because of Jon Foreman (lead singers) great lyrics. They are always thought-provoking. I've also seen a lot of cold religion in my life, and it drives me crazy. Religion can be awesomely warm and powerful when God is kept at the center, but so often people forget about God and focus more on tradition. Thanks for visiting my blog! Come by again!