What Does Sadness Have To Do With Being Distracted?
Argentine composer Facundo Cabral was known for spreading his thought through deep reflections. One is about sadness. Through satire, anarchism, social criticism and optimism, he sent a fervent message. In his exhibitions he constantly cited Whitman, Borges, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Jesus, Teresa of Calcutta and Krishnamurti. One of his most celebrated performances bears the title “You’re not depressed, you’re distracted”.
He was exiled during the Argentine dictatorship and has since been eradicated in Mexico. He performed in about 165 countries. Some of his most famous concerts were those performed in the company of Alberto Cortez, who in turn defined Cabral as “a controversial character who invented himself”.
In his recital “You’re not depressed, you’re distracted”, Cabral reflects on sadness, an evil that stands out in our time and that at some point in life affects everyone. Cabral puts sadness as a kind of blindness that distracts us, and we end up not enjoying the richness and beauty of the world around us.
sadness and distraction
In part of the aforementioned presentation, the composer invites us to question the matter saying: “Distracted from the life that inhabits you… You have heart, brain, soul and spirit… so how can you feel poor and miserable? Distracted from the life around you, the dolphins, forests, seas, mountains and rivers…”
Facundo Cabral’s generosity
Facundo Cabral was a man who shared his life experience with crowds. This exchange with others was characterized by the use of sarcasm and a sharp, intelligent humour. Viewers enjoyed and recreated the meaning of their lives in an authentic and original way.
It is clear in his expositions that life is above all a matter of learning: “From the cradle to the grave, life is a school. So what you call problems are lessons. And life is dynamic, so it’s in constant motion. For all these reasons, we must always be attentive to the present. There are so many things to enjoy, and our time on Earth is so short, that suffering is just a waste of time. “
He refers to death this way: “You haven’t lost anyone. He who died simply stepped forward, because that’s where all of us are going. Besides, better for him. Love follows in your heart. There is no death, there is change, and on the other side wonderful people await us : Gandhi, Michelangelo, Whitman, San Agustín, Mother Teresa, her grandmother and my mother, who believed that in poverty we are closer to love because money distracts us with many things”.
how to find happiness
Cabral was a kind of apostle of love, who shouted to the four winds his disquietude with what is established. A committed pacifist, who did not believe in violence as a solution to something for nothing. A lonely and happy being who always surrounded himself with good literature and good music to make his own creations.
It promoted the idea of being guided by our hearts: “You can’t find happiness, and it’s so easy! You should only listen to your heart before your head intervenes, which is conditioned by memory, which complicates everything with old things, with orders from the past, with prejudices that hurt, that imprison the head that divides, that is, impoverishes. The head that doesn’t accept that life is as it is, not as it should be. Just do what you love and you will be happy”.
He indicates that being happy is a duty: “Make peace with yourself, stand in front of a mirror and think that this creature you are seeing is the work of God. And decide right now to be happy, because happiness is an acquisition, not something that will come from outside. Furthermore, happiness is not a right but a duty; because if you’re not happy, you end up embittering the whole neighborhood”.
Other teachings on sadness
In relation to catastrophic illnesses, he points out: “And if you have cancer or AIDS, two things can happen, and both are good. If the disease wins you, it frees your body, which is so uncomfortable: I’m hungry, I’m cold, I’m sleepy, I want to, I have reasons, I have doubts. And if you win from illness, you will be more humble, more grateful, and therefore easily happier, freed from the tremendous weight of guilt, responsibility, and vanity. Willing to live each moment deeply as it should be lived”.
About the inner light he says: “ Fear distracts us from love, which is wise and brave because it knows that there is no measure or end. Search within yourself and the clouds from the periphery will disappear, be still and silent to listen to the sage who lives within you. Once the inner light is turned on, nothing can turn it off. It is as perfect and incorruptible as the gold that symbolizes the power of purity, of what is essential, that is, of the spirit which is an infinite and wonderful journey because it is there in every moment lived in depth”.
Regarding the ego and innocence, Fernando Cabral says: “ When the ego is abandoned, miracles begin. Then, without a fight, you regain your natural strength. So you can taste life through love, walk on water and heal with words. The ego names things, but the innocent sees them; the ego judges them, but the innocent lives them. Ego divides, innocence harmonizes differences; the ego depends on the mind, the innocent depends on the heart”.
You now have the elements, you just need to take on the challenge: “ Now that you’re alone and calm, forget what you are, because this is just someone else’s creation, and listen to your heart : “Who do you want to be?”, “What do you want to do now?”… Because life is right now”.
