A. Z.

“... Music reminds me of what my life should have been. But it doesn't change me.
Perhaps, says the genius, music doesn't change us that much, nor does great art change us. Instead, it reminds us of who, despite all our claims or denials, we've always known we were and are destined to remain. It reminds us of the mileposts we've buried and hidden and then lost, of the people and things that mattered despite our lies, despite the years. Music is no more than the sound of our regrets put to a cadence that stirs the illusion of pleasure and hope. It's the surest reminder that we're here for a very short while and that we've neglected or cheated or, worse yet, failed to live our lives. Music is the unlived life. You've lived the wrong life, my friend, and almost defaced the one you were given to live.
What do I want? Do you know the answer, Herr Bach? Is there such a thing as a right or wrong life?
I'm an artist, my friend, I don't do answers. Artists know questions only. And besides, you already know the answer.”
― André Aciman, Find Me