No Points For Consistency

What are we to make of consistency?

I'm not talking in terms of the music we listen to. I would dare say we all admire consistency, and admire the ability of certain artists to continually release music that meets our standards. To be endlessly productive without a major dip in quality is something to make note of, because it's a rare feat of both creativity and self-editing.

What about us, as listeners? Human psychology often pushes us toward consistency as well, even though it makes far less sense on our end. When we talk about politics, we often hear praise for those who say they have never changed their views on issues. Their consistency is looked at as a sign of their sincere belief, and is often promoted as a reason why we should trust them.

But that's completely ass-backwards.

Consistency can be those things, but it can also be the hallmark of someone who is not self-critical, who doesn't think about why they believe the things they do, and who ignores the world around them. On practically any issue we can think of, the world today is a different place than it was ten years ago, twenty years ago, and so on. To hold the exact same opinion on an issue when the world has changed immensely doesn't make a whole lot of sense, now does it? The reality on the ground has shifted, so why wouldn't our opinions change along with them?

I think they should.

When it comes to music, making lists is one of the things many of us enjoy doing. It's fun to categorize and compare, and sometimes it simply makes it easier for us to organize and understand our own thinking. I know there have been times when I have only realized something when I was sitting down to place an idea on a list. This is not a criticism of that mentality, but rather me wondering if we revert to the reflexive answer too often, without asking if it is any longer the truth.

The last time I sat down to make an updated list of my favorite albums ever, the answer changed for the first time in at least fifteen years. I didn't realize it was going to until I was in the process, and at first I was caught off-guard by it. I was so used to answering the question without even thinking about it, I would have told you the answer was never going to change. And then it did.

I am no longer consistent in one of the most fundamental questions you can ask a music fan, and that fact is actually reassuring to me. By changing my mind at this stage, after all this time, I'm relieved to know I am still examining the world around me and the way I interact with it. I am not checked out and giving answers simply because they are already on the tip of my tongue. I am considering how I have changed over the years, how what I want out of music has changed, and I am acting accordingly.

It would be easier to be consistent, to make up my mind and never waver. What would be the point in that, though? No one besides myself really cares what the answers are, so it isn't as if I am upsetting anyone or stirring up drama by changing my mind. All I'm doing is being more honest with myself, which is exactly what we should be doing. It's as easy to lie to ourselves as it is to anyone else, and half the time I don't think we ever realize we're doing it.

Consistency has its time and place, but we need to be careful not to give too much credence to it. Like everything, there is a time and a place for it, and there is a time and place for admitting when you have changed. There is no shame in evolving. There is shame in refusing to accept the truth.