Money Tune Tuesday: Audience of One

I’ve been wanting to use a Rise Against song for a Money Tune Tuesday for quite a while now. But I could never quite find the right one.

I’m a huge Rise Against fan. Not only do I think they’re music is incredible but most of their songs have quite a strong message. I once heard someone compare Sublime’s song to a wolf in sheep’s clothing; meaning, the message is pretty strong but the melody and presentation of the song don’t make it apparent that the song is about something so serious or disturbing. Rise Against does the same thing.  And their videos are equally powerful.

Instead of going with one of their more popular songs like “Help Is On The Way” or “Savior” or even their newest, “Satellite” (not to be confused with The Dave Matthews Band’s “Satellite”. Seriously, never confuse them), I’m going with their song “Audience of One”. I picked it because a lot of times, that’s how I feel.

When we started paying down debt, my husband and I lost a lot of friends. Our families didn’t understand our choices (for a variety of reasons) and many times, we felt like we were by ourselves. We had outgrown our previous lifestyle in favor of another more fiscally prudent one and most people couldn’t get behind it. It was hard for us to find kindred spirits to spend time with and, if we did, it was fleeting. So we accepted that, for the time being, it’s just us.

Being your own audience is a pretty liberating feeling. You don’t have to answer to anyone. You get to do things on your own terms, free from judgment and criticism. But it can get lonely. If you’re in a situation where you feel like you’re by yourself and no one’s listening (or supporting you), don’t give up. Just keep going down your path. Because eventually, all of those in the audience of one will add up to a pretty large crowd.

Note: While I am a fan of their music, I do not necessarily agree with their politics, advocacy or activism (if you watch the video, you’ll see what I’m talking about). There are some causes I 100% agree with and some that I do not. I try not to let that detract from how great their music is.