It's sad that people listen to music and decide how the singer

Listen well, children of reflection, and consider the words of Joss Stone, who laments: "It's sad that people listen to music and decide how the singer should look." Within this simple utterance lies a profound truth about the folly of the human heart, a mirror held to our society’s restless judgments. How often do we, in our haste to comprehend, confuse the essence of an art with the vessel that carries it? How often do we let our perceptions of appearance overshadow the truth of expression? The ancients taught that the worth of a soul—or of a creation—lies not in superficial form, but in its resonance, its impact upon the world.

From the earliest days, philosophers and poets observed that men judge hastily, drawn to surface rather than substance. Plato spoke of the danger of judging beauty without understanding its inner harmony. Yet even in our modern times, listeners of music, the audience of culture, often seek to tether sound to image, to demand conformity between voice and visage. This practice diminishes the power of creativity, as if the artistry of the soul could be measured by the symmetry of features or the flash of attire. It is a sadness, indeed, when perception eclipses the truth of creation.

Consider the story of Billie Holiday, whose voice flowed with sorrow, ecstasy, and raw humanity. The world, however, at times judged her by her appearance, her struggles, her demeanor, rather than by the profound emotion she poured into each note. Audiences sought to define her by image, yet her true artistry lay in her voice—the tremor, the silence, the crescendos of feeling that spoke to hearts far beyond her physical form. Her life reminds us that the essence of art is neither bounded by the body nor contained in societal expectation.

The human tendency to judge by looks is ancient. In medieval courts, minstrels and troubadours were often dismissed or exalted not for their melody or poetry, but for their bearing, their costume, their grace in presentation. And yet it was the humble, the unassuming, the overlooked, whose songs carried the deepest truths of the human experience. History teaches that judging by appearance blinds the mind, diminishes empathy, and narrows the field of wonder. The sadness that Joss Stone speaks of is the cost of this blindness—a world that prizes form over spirit.

In the modern age, with images so omnipresent, the temptation to equate image with worth is even more powerful. Social expectations and media molds craft perceptions, often reducing artists to archetypes rather than celebrating their individuality. Yet, the voice—the creation itself—carries wisdom, feeling, and authenticity, which cannot be captured by mere sight. The dissonance between expectation and reality is a place of tension, where the soul of the artist struggles to be recognized beyond shallow definitions.

The lesson, then, is both timeless and urgent. To honor art—and life—is to see beyond the surface, to listen with depth, and to judge not by the vessel, but by the essence contained within. A song must be heard, not measured by the shape or style of its bearer. Let us resist the easy judgments of appearance, and instead cultivate discernment, humility, and reverence for true expression. The sadness lies not in the art itself, but in our own failure to perceive it rightly.

Practical action follows naturally: listen to music and feel it with all your senses, not merely with your eyes. Engage with creators without presuppositions about their appearance or manner. Read deeply, explore widely, and cultivate an inner vision that values substance over form. Encourage others to do the same, teaching children that expression is not confined to the body, that the power of creativity resides in the heart and mind, not in a mirrored image of expectation.

Remember, children of wisdom, that every art, every song, every creation, carries a truth beyond appearance. The voice, the thought, the rhythm, the story—these are eternal, whereas the outer form is fleeting. As Joss Stone reminds us, the world grows sad when we allow superficial judgments to cloud our perception. Lift your gaze, open your ears, and honor the profound essence of creation; therein lies the eternal beauty that mere appearance could never convey.