When I was in 3rd year high school, one day, I found myself sitting in the classroom, humming the song "Sounds of Silence" to myself. Somewhere in the middle of it, one of my classmates came into the classroom, passed by me, stopped, and asked me, "Do you know what that song means?"
I answered him that I didn't, but that I liked it anyway. I'm not sure what was going through his mind, or what was up his backside, but he said, rather angrily, "How can you like a song if you don't understand it?!" To which, I responded, also rather angrily, "Fine, so I don't like it!" and stormed out of the classroom. I remember he came after me to say something to me, but I can't remember what it was, but I think it was something about not walking out on him, and not too be pissed off. Which I was.
I was angry because I didn't like being berated, especially when I was just enjoying myself. So what if I don't understand something? Does that mean I can't enjoy the melody, or the interplay of tones? Is it absolutely necessary to understand what something is about, in order to enjoy it?
What is it with people who feel that they have to demonstrate their intellectual superiority over others to feel good about themselves?
Oh, well. C'est la vie.
On the bright side, I went out of my way to understand the song, and I benefitted from my parents' collection of Simon and Garfunkel albums. So, I listened to the songs. And I understood what "Sounds of Silence" meant. And I still liked it. And became a Simon and Garfunkel fan.
So there.
So there was a reason for my classmate to berate me: to make me appreciate the songs of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, which I do to this day.
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