The first of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths is: All existence is dukkha. Dukkha is defined as suffering. So, maybe not the most uplifting message to start off your week. But when we can step back from that idea a little bit and see that happiness can exist amongst the suffering, then we start to see our lives as more of a process-oriented experience vs. one that is transactional. Just like a well-balanced piece of music (or dare I say a playlist) we can start to see a path towards more sustainable happiness as a balance of elements vs. the pure accumulation or elimination of any particular element.

If music is too loud or too quiet, has too much bass or too much treble… if it’s all depressing or nothing but sticky-sweet positivity it may sound good for a while but it’s not going to sustain our attention for as long as something with more depth and balance. I hope listening to this months playlist helps you, at least a little bit, on a more balanced beat to happiness. – MMM

July’s playlist includes songs by Open Mike Eagle, Superchunk, Farewell Transmissions, Stan Hubbs, PIXIES, The Weakerthans, Patio, Daddy Issues, Craig Pruess & Ananda, Origami Ghosts , Richard Skelton, OK O’Clock and more

(Subscribe to get a new playlist every 1st Monday of the month. Click on my user link or search: Major Matt’s 1st Monday on Spotify to cruise past playlists and discover more music.)