One atom is capable of producing an atomic explosion that can unleash unfathomable destruction. What if this nearly infinite potential exists in everything? Maybe this explains the full emotional potential of music. Perhaps a single note truly and completely heard would overwhelm us as completely as the voice of the Creator himself, entering our consciousness through processes of intricate complexity . . . the crafting of instruments, perfecting of skills, vibrating air and eardrum, nerves and synapses and understanding, and my God, it is all so magnificent!

Our cultural conditioning is so ingrained in us that we often see these customs and taboos as inherent to the fabric of the cosmos. We spiritualize them. Legalize them. And when someone else doesn't follow them, it can feel to us like an attack on our very personhood. This kind of cultural blindness affects how we order creation.

Our deepest beliefs about the universe filter their way up through the soil into the tiny aesthetic decisions that the artist makes. How we make our records. Which color feels right. Rhyme schemes and word choices. These kinds of decisions are rarely made out of purely analytical comparison. They come from the guts. From faith.

Fundamentalism is rooted in arrogance. It thrives in fear and control and darkness.