Britney Spears vs Ruslan

I was bored recently, it is imperative that you remember that first part, so I clicked a couple Britney Spears videos on YouTube. The old stuff not the new stuff, I’m not a big fan of either I just find the new stuff more annoying, sue me. Three videos in I stumbled across the video for “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman”. I remembered the song from a movie that I have long since forgotten but in the process of trying to remember the movie I heard the lyrics. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! That was the guy in my head shouting by the way and boy was he right. The song is a justification for bad decisions.

Yeah... That was my reaction too

Across the three songs that I heard, the last one was the last straw, I have since moved on. But as I was saying across the three songs I heard I realised that Britney Spears would write her songs to express her actual feelings. Which in a sense I applaud because it brings about less generic music but my goodness the wrong thinking behind it is immense. I know some people are all about the whole “it’s her opinion, and she is right to her”. NO! Contrary to popular belief there is such a thing as right and wrong, opinion or otherwise but this is not me bashing Britney, she probably does that herself, this is about two songs and their meanings.

Enter Ruslan. Ruslan is an artist I found while I was still in Zambia, admittedly I was late to the parade as most of my friends had already heard him and appreciated him by then. He is an artist of Azerbaijan origin, which is quite boss because I have a friend over here from Azerbaijan and he is a solid chap. Anyway in his 'Carry On' album there is a song called “Victim of adolescence”. This song is the polar opposite of the Britney Spears song “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman”. I will leave links to the music in here somewhere for those who wish to indulge themselves but I highly recommend you listen to the Ruslan song, it’s a REALLY good song.

In Ruslan’s song he explains how in the view of most people these days there are three stages of the growth of a man. Boy, Adolescent and then Man. He doesn’t agree and neither do I. The idea is that during the adolescent stage a person is allowed to behave like a child(boy) even though physically they should be considered grown(man). He explains how this is a line of thinking that is propagated by the world and subconsciously most of us have come to think of it as normal. He has this line that I must mention “It’s been a minute, I’m ashamed to admit it, not only did I buy into that lie I also lived it, victim of adolescence”. I hear a hammer hit a nail almost every time I hear that.

Had to squeeze in a boys who shave reference

In comparison in Britney Spears’ song she keeps making justifications for her actions whatever they may be based on her not being a woman. I’m not grown so I can make all the mistakes I want BUT you can’t keep bringing your ideology and expecting me to go by it because I am not a girl either. I am free to make all the mistakes I want, behaving like a child, continuous life of play and it’s perfectly justified because I am in the middle stage between girl and woman. WOW! Just Wow!

In my understanding, and heads up I’m on Ruslan’s side if you didn’t already know, I get my understanding of the development growth wise from the bible. One of the main parts that I like a lot in reference to this is the famous 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter. ‘When I was a child I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. When I became a man I did away with childish things’.  That right there is the bible and it’s dead clear. Granted there are others but this one always got me so I will talk about it.

This one bugged me for ages, still does because it is one of the many things that shows me the sin in me. The times I have looked at my conduct and realised that my actions resembled the child in me than the man God wants me to be it hurts. It is easy to give the excuse that I’m not yet grown so I can behave like a child, thinking life is a constant pursuit of play but it’s not, for the man it was not supposed to be. Play is a part but not the whole, heck it’s not even the largest or the most important part. Yet at times I have found myself so keen to make it the largest part.

In truth the fight between these two songs, the fight between Britney and Ruslan is one that happens in my head. No idea if it happens in anyone else’s but in mine it is a constant one and I think I will struggle with this till my dying day. The fight to choose the responsibility of the man over the pleasure of the boy. The struggle continues and thankfully both God and I are on Ruslan’s side

Victim Of Adolscence by Ruslan. Enjoy!