One of the more interesting threads has been Nietzsche’s relationship with the composer Richard Wagner. At first, there was deep admiration—a shared vision of what art could do for culture. But over time, that relationship fractured. The more I read, the more I realize it wasn’t just personal. It pointed to something deeper.
And that “something” keeps coming up the more I read—and even as I’ve been listening to what we’d call “true classics.” (Most of us know Wagner through the 'Wedding March" and "Ride of the Valkyries")
What is art actually doing to us?
When we think about music and influence, we usually think in terms of words. Lyrics carry ideas, ideas carry meaning, and meaning shapes people. But it’s been interesting to wrestle with how thinkers like Wagner—and those who influenced Nietzsche, like Schopenhauer—understood music that has no words at all.
Wagner believed music could express something deeper than language: emotion, longing, tension—even transcendence. Things words can’t fully capture. Schopenhauer went even further, arguing that music doesn’t just describe life—it expresses something more immediate and primal, something like the underlying force of reality itself.
In that sense, music isn’t just communicating ideas. It’s shaping experience. It moves the heart directly, without passing through language first.
And that raises a question I can’t shake:
If music has that kind of power, what is it forming in us when there are no words to guide it?
Wagner didn’t just compose music—he built experiences. Festivals, gatherings, even a cultural center around his work. People didn’t just listen; they participated. It shaped identity, emotion, even belief.
I had never heard of Bayreuth before this—a music hall Wagner built that became the center of a powerful cultural movement. It’s fascinating to see how art, identity, and influence blended there in ways that went far beyond the stage.
And the more I think about it, the more I see a pattern.
19th-century German festivals. Woodstock in the 1960s. Burning Man....and yes, these bizarre "No Kings" rallies recently.
I don’t want to oversimplify it—but I can’t ignore the question:
What happens when art and cultural movements become tools for mass identity and emotional control?
At that point, it’s no longer just expression—it’s formation.
And formation isn’t neutral.
What feels like progress can sometimes be drift. Not growth rooted in something solid, but movement fueled by emotion, belonging, and shared experience—without grounding.
And it’s that loss of grounding that concerns me.
On the surface, some of what we see today can look almost silly—costumes, chaotic performances, moments that feel more like spectacle than substance. But underneath, there can also be something more serious: messages about destruction, revolution, or meaninglessness quietly woven in.
And when that happens, art doesn’t elevate people—it eventually confuses them.
I’m still working through all of this, but it keeps bringing me back to a central question:
What is shaping us—and what is it shaping us into?
Nietzsche’s famous statement, “God is dead,” is often misunderstood. He wasn’t celebrating it so much as observing what happens when a society cuts itself off from God.
And the more I read, the more I think he may have been more right than wrong.
We are not used to music without words—or are we?
When I see bizarre antics at these recent 'protests' - they have no coherent message- No Kings? The fact that they are able to proclaim the message defeats the logic of the label- but again, it isn't the 'lyrics' .... it is a discordant symphony that communicates more danger than the general public realizes.
And here comes some angry rant at me.... 3....2.....1..... These are my words and I am free to express them.
We have a lot of people living like God is Dead- their own God is their own mind.
Lat night, American Idol had it's yearly 'faith night' where contestants chose songs that expressed faith- some were overtly Christian and some were not.
On X- many praised the night...but I was also intrigued that in my 'Top Comments" feed there was a lot of anger that ABC/Disney would give that a platform.... even though it is 'Holy Week' for Christians.
So those opposed to faith night might ask me the same question:
What happens when art and cultural movements become tools for mass identity and emotional control?
Which then leads me to a a better question:
Because art and cultural movements can become tools for mass identity and emotional control- what anchors should we cling to that allows us the greatest opportunity for love, understanding, prosperity, and peace?
And this is where I believe the Christian gospel excels and has no real rival.
Things to ponder on Holy Week.
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