Not in Kansas: Finding Ground in the Midst of Change
If you’re like me, perhaps you’ve noticed that the world feels like it is rapidly changing. Economic uncertainty, domestic and global conflicts, self-driving cars, and more information at our fingertips than our brains were ever meant to process.
As technology has integrated into our society, it has touted connectivity and convenience. Yet people feel more disconnected and lonely, and simple tasks increasingly require a gauntlet of automated hoops that somehow lead us in circles.
Just the other day, I tried to make a payment at a bank and was told they couldn’t accept cash. With calm sincerity, I laughed and said to the teller, “I know this isn’t your personal policy, but not being able to use cash at a bank exemplifies why people feel like they are going crazy.”
Not in Kansas by The National is a song I recommend listening to when you need to recenter yourself from the chaos.
A simple, dreamy riff. A monotone but comforting baritone vocal that recites what can almost feel like drivel. The lyrics should feel nonsensical, but somehow they capture the absurdity of daily life in a way that you almost understand. Thoughts, memories, cultural references, fears, and observations swirl around one another before giving way to a calming, almost angelic chorus that seems to connect it all.
I find the song peaceful because it doesn’t try to resolve the chaos. It simply acknowledges it. Life changes. The world changes. Our thoughts jump from one thing to another as we try to make sense of all of it.
And sometimes grounding isn’t about making the world make sense. Sometimes it’s simply about finding something that brings us back to ourselves — a familiar voice, a melody, a moment of stillness — and remembering our own humanity within all the noise.
