I am in such an opinionated mood, I think I'm just going to write another "My Two Cents" post... This time about my favorite pop star.
Lady Gaga's got a new song out. The greatly anticipated track "Born This Way" from her upcoming album of the same name was released yesterday morning. I have listened to it a hundred times already. I really like this song. It's catchy, fun, encouraging, even liberating. I'm sure it will become the anthem for outcasts in the same way Lennon's "Imagine" became the anthem for peace-propagates everywhere. It's simple, with a dance-floor vibe and an excellent vocal performance by Gaga.
But... is it sharing correct principles?
If we look at Lady Gaga's life so far, we can obviously tell that she lives for her fans and for her art and performance. "I was performing on stages all my life," she said in one interview. "I was born on a stage, and I'll die on one, for sure." Makes sense. She's the epitome of rags-to-riches pop star, ascending from underground clubs in New York City to the O2 Arena this past year. Since she was very young, she has always known that she was a performer. I think Lady Gaga is one of the few people we can name who actually became famous through hard work, determination, and a great deal of courage. And this is something she really stands for. She believes everyone can unlock their potential to be amazing. "My momma told me when I was young, we are all born superstars." This ain't a bad mindset. I think people can do so much more good for the world if they simply learned to love themselves first. If people were aware of the great potential that they have -- the potential they were born with -- they can go far, make good decisions, and spread love to the world. I think Mormons really encourage this idea. We believe we were born as spirit children of our Heavenly Father, and therefore we have the potential to be like him. If we really loved God, we would love ourselves as well. God loves you no matter who you are. No matter what color you are, whatever disabilities you may have, if you are a man or a woman, if you love men or women. God loves you. That's so important for us to realize. There really is "nothing wrong with loving who you are," as Gaga states in her single.
However, the next line, "cuz he made you perfect, babe" is a bit misleading. No, I don't believe we were born perfect. I believe we were born with the potential to be perfect. While we should love ourselves and understand who we are, we must not adopt a "This is the way I am, I don't have to change," kind of attitude. That's unhealthy. That detracts from the progress that could make us better. Yeah, God makes no mistakes. Yeah, God has a perfect knowledge of all things. To make imperfect children is not a mistake. It's part of a perfect plan. So it's my hope that people don't get the wrong idea from this song. You were born a son or daughter of God, but you were not born perfect. You must grow, prove yourself to God and to yourself that you are worthy of His kingdom.
"It doesn't matter if you love him, or Capital H-I-M." What does THAT mean? After reading various interviews, I have come to the conclusion that Capital H-I-M is a reference to God. If this is the case, I have to say that it DOES matter if you love Capital H-I-M. It matters a great deal, at least in my opinion. I hope people don't put the "hims" of the world above the "HIMs" of the world. Put God first in everything, and you'll see that it's worthwhile.
I also find another problem with the song: I don't like the idea of "respecting youth" as Gaga puts it in her song. I think we should be careful about living in the moment. Once in a while, it's important to let go, have a good time, and seize the day. But in the spirit of our future families, our spiritual welfare, and our own emotional well-being, it's also a good idea to not lose yourself in a youthful lifestyle. Be frugal, be healthy, be wise.
Love needs faith? Rejoice your truth? What does this all mean mean?? I'm a little worried to just jump into believing these without knowing what they mean.
"A different lover is not a sin... No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgendered life..." Okay. Hopefully everyone knows by now that I am a Mormon and therefore I don't believe homosexual relationships are a good thing, but I feel like Lady Gaga is very respectful in how she presents her opinion. She doesn't rape our ears with every detail of a gay love. She just mentions it, moves on, and talks about the main point: We can love who we are, no matter who we are. I think this was a good way to send her message.
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