Trust us when we say this, a music festival can be a great place to rake in some pretty worthy life lessons, and The Sherp lists up the 10 you really need.
Apart from what you think usually goes on at festivals – young people hobnobbing, drunken stupor, wild abandon, debauched revelry and an obvious dose of music; music festivals also make for a great place to lap up some much needed life lessons, if youβre paying a little attention. When not consumed too much with the available freedom at hand, you may find yourself soaking in some much needed profundity at a music event, even as you interact with people from all walks of life.
The Sherp picks those 10 life lessons you just cannot miss when at a festival!
Lesson 1 : Letting it loose
Everyone deserves a break; from the usual humdrum, from monotony, from a market that aims to suck you dry in every way. A break that lets you indulge in the art you so love, without having to worry about the office meeting you decided to cancel last minute. Being at a music festival is an experience in relaxing, in disallowing ‘essentialism’ from ruling your life in want of a more spirited getaway.
Lesson 2: The want of nature
The reason music festivals held on farmlands, on the outskirts of a city, are such a hit, is because they provide the necessary alternative that people leading concrete lives in the city need. An escape into the world of green, where the skies are a little clearer, the air slightly fresher, and the land, limitless. A festival experience as such reinforces your faith in the healing power of nature.
Lesson 3: Luxury is not everything
Ever camped out at a festival? Where there isnβt water in the public bathrooms, a one too many flies and moths to give you nightly company, the beds a lot sharper than youβre used to, with the community bonfire as the only brew for the cold? But yet, the experience is a lot more unique, as it demands you to either fix yourself a concoction for temporary happiness, or deal with it, coming out stronger. Being at a festival lets you know that itβs not the worst thing to not have the most comforting blanket around; the experience is more than worth it.
Lesson 4 : Sharing is caring, anyone?
Cigarettes are not the only thing passed around in abundance at a music festival. You will find yourself sharing items, from the most lowly kinds to the most essential with strangers; people youβre likely to never meet again. But the gratitude in return is heartfelt. Makes you wish you were as generous more often.
Lesson 5 : Weβre all alike
Being subjected to monotony can leave us vying for a certain level of individuality. While some achieve that, most live in denial. Being at a festival can be a wake up call to many people; making them aware of how alike they are with their human kindred. Which is not a bad thing at all. Because, if we donβt connect on commonality, then how will we?
Yet, everyone is unique.
Despite our common tastes, attitude towards music and affinity for all things pop culture, we are all inherently distinct. From how one person wouldnβt mind bawling their eyes out during their heroβs concert, to another taking a moment to compose herself once a spectacular gig has ended. This uniqueness is worth appreciating and celebrating. Β
Lesson 6 : Patience is a virtue
As if Β your mundane daily life doesn’t test your patience already, you’re thankfully surrounded by enough distractions to keep at it. At a music festival, right from waiting in long queues for the festival band to waiting for a drink at an over-crowded bar, toΒ anticipatingΒ your favourite headliner to get on to the stage, right to getting yourself through that wretched traffic outside the venue at the end of the festival, the festival will award all your patient moments with sweet rewards.
Lesson 7 : Hereβs to friendships
Most of us are so flummoxed by daily exhaustion, we hardly ever reach out to a random stranger, extending a token hand of friendship. So nestled are we in comfort, that it never seems necessary, let alone worth doing. At a music festival though, hangups are often laid to rest, as the air is blessed with the essence of free flowing conversations and easy friendships, often encouraged by the atmospheric nonchalance. We say, why not?
Lesson 8 : Mind and body wellness
Festivals like Lightning in a Bottle, Groove Fest, Wakarusa, and Kundalini aim for greater profundity through the music festival experience, involving healing practices such as yoga, meditation and dance; making one realise just how requisite wellness exercises really can be, and how much you really need them.
Lesson 9 : Music is therapeutic
Easily, the most essential truth of our lives that we donβt ponder upon, as much as we should. That for music-heads who get together to indulge in the cumulative power that is a music festival, music may just be the timely therapy we need. Being at a music festival reinforces this very idea that in a world plagued by consumerism, music alone rings true.
Lesson 10 : The arts need us, as much as we need them
There is no greater joy than discovering an underground act at a festival, and then consuming their work like it deserves to be consumed. There is no greater joy than knowing that the money you just spent on a festival ticket, will be encouraging brilliant acts to take on the centrestage of musical fandom. We need the art in our lives as much as the artists need us. And this mutually befitting life lesson makes loving art that much more worth it.