Freddie Mercury and the Meaning of Life

Tonight we will ask the question, "Why?" Why do we exist, why does the world exist, why get up in the morning? Is there any purpose to this whole drama called life or is human existence a monstrous absurdity? I want to share with you a song that gives at least one possible answer to this question, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. The song is a musical and lyrical masterpiece performed by one of the icons of rock history. Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, casts the vision of a life devoid of meaning, a life that flows from his own worldview. The tragedy is that Freddie not only wrote this song, but lived this song, until the day that he eventually succumbed to AIDS-related pneumonia on November 24, 1991. I have posted the lyrics and the You Tube video below. Listen carefully, think about the lyrics, and respond to the song. Was Freddie correct? Is it true that “nothing really matters,” or is there some meaning to all of this? And if so, what is it? I look forward to your comments.



Bohemian Rhapsody
Words and music by Freddie Mercury

Is this the real life-
Is this just fantasy-
Caught in a landslide-
No escape from reality-
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see-
I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy-
Because I’m easy come, easy go,
A little high, little low,
Anyway the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me,
To me

Mama, just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead,
Mama, life had just begun,
But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away-
Mama ooo,
Didn’t mean to make you cry-
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow-
Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters-

Too late, my time has come,
Sends shivers down my spine-
Body’s aching all the time,
Goodbye everybody-I’ve got to go-
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth-
Mama ooo- (any way the wind blows)
I don’t want to die,
I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all-

I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouche, scaramouche will you do the fandango-
Thunderbolt and lightning-very very frightening me-
Galileo, Galileo,
Galileo Galileo
Galileo figaro-magnifico-
But I’m just a poor boy and nobody loves me-
He’s just a poor boy from a poor family-
Spare him his life from this monstrosity-
Easy come easy go-,will you let me go-
Bismillah! No-,we will not let you go-let him go-
Bismillah! We will not let you go-let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go-let me go
Will not let you go-let me go
Will not let you go let me go
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-
Mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go-
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me-

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye-
So you think you can love me and leave me to die-
Oh baby-can’t do this to me baby-
Just gotta get out-just gotta get right outta here-

Nothing really matters,
Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters, nothing really matters to me,

Any way the wind blows....

April Discussion Forum

Our next discussion forum will take place on April 24 at 7pm at the Jefferson County Public Library in Madison. Bring your friends, bring a random stranger, bring anyone you think would meaningfully contribute to the conversation. I look forward to seeing you all there!

"Think"

Bertrand Russell once wrote, “Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so.” The unfortunate reality is that the majority of human beings drift through life, eating and sleeping and living and dying, never pausing to examine why they do what they do. The ultimate issues of human existence go largely unaddressed. The car stereo drowns out the nagging questions of life; the TV sitcom helps us laugh about what would otherwise seem an absurd existence. It’s simply easier not to think.

That is why we have set aside one evening a month to explore some of these ultimate issues and seek answers to these nagging questions. As Christians we believe that all of reality finally becomes clear and makes sense in light of God’s final revelation of Himself in His Son Jesus Christ. But we don’t just want to sit around and listen to ourselves talk. We want to foster an environment of open and civil dialogue in which people from all different worldviews can express their beliefs about the claims of Christ.

We will hold our first forum at the Jefferson County Public Library in Madison, IN at 7pm on Thursday March 27. So if you have questions about Christianity, if you have objections to Christianity, if you think Christianity is a sham, bring your beliefs and your mind and join us for some thought-provoking discussion.

This blog will serve a dual purpose. First, it will be a sort of bulletin board on which we will post pertinent information about upcoming forum events. Secondly, it will be an online discussion forum—a way for us to continue and extend the conversation beyond our meeting times. Even if you are unable to attend the library forums we invite you to join the conversation and weigh in with your opinions.

The great philosopher Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Join us as we examine the great issues of human existence, and seek to live lives worth living.