“Ludens” by Bring Me the Horizon
As will be elaborated in the facts’ section, the creation of Bring Me The Horizon’s “Luden” was heavily influenced by Hideo Kojima. Kojima is without a shred of doubt one of the most relevant videogame designers of his generation. As such, you can say that Hideo’s main talent is his creativity. And likewise, the idea of a “luden” is based on, according to Oli Sykes, the philosophy that mankind’s “greatest asset and… biggest hope” is our creativity. Or another way of looking at it is that the pressing issues of today can ideally be resolved through the application of ingenuity.
Thus in this song, when the band calls for “a new leader”, as in “a new Luden”, they are more or less calling for leadership that will approach pressing dilemmas via new approaches. And amongst the issues that they bring up is environmental degradation. But more pervasive is a stance against social-media based communications. And in that regard, Bring Me the Horizon seem to perceive this phenomenon as one that is discouraging meaningful interpersonal exchanges instead of vice versa. Moreover modern-technological advances are encouraging something like a surveillance state, where people are always under the scrutiny of others.
Conclusion
So we can conclude that the primary purpose of “Luden”, in its most-basic form, is to express a sentiment along the lines of criticizing some ubiquitous computer-based advancements that are part of modern society. Part of this criticism may be based on such technologies negatively affecting the environment. But more to the point is the narrator’s disdain towards always being ‘connected’. And basically, the band seems to be searching for an individual prominent enough to alter this trend who also adopts such a disposition.
FYI, A “luden” is a person who uses his/her creative mental capacity to try solving issues of the world. And that’s who Bring Me the Horizon are searching for.
Facts about “Luden”
In fact another person who inspired the sentiment of this song is a young Swede by the name of Greta Thunberg. Greta is actually a prominent international environmental activist. Possibly the most prominent of her generation.
“Ludens” was written and produced by Bring Me the Horizon members Oli Sykes and Jordan Fish. The pair created this song within the timespan of five days.
Penning songs is usually more of a collaborative effort, involving other members of the band also. However, despite being short-staffed, Oli and Jordan were compelled to grind out the track under the aforementioned time constraint, while simultaneously being on the road. Indeed they enjoyed the process considering that they weren’t burdened with having to pen an entire album.
Hideo Kojima is, at the time of the dropping of this song, the most-famous videogame designer in the world. And “Ludens” is actually the second single released from the soundtrack of a famed Kojima videogame. The soundtrack is entitled “Death Stranding”.
Sony Music UK released “Ludens” on 6 November 2019. It is also slated to be featured on Bring Me the Horizon’s forthcoming seventh studio album.
Agree, except the part about Greta Thunberg.
I think she is just more of the old system, combative and accusatory. While I agree in the symbiotic relation with our Earth, the demonizing of one way versus another way is archaic and cruel.
Humans are interconnected with the biological world. That energy must be nurtured and an invitation to change must be offered to all. To shame people, as Thunberg does, is abusive and dogmatic.
Its an old way of being and relating.
It matters not that one believes their way to be “right”. “Right” and “Wrong” are imprisonments of the mind, the 6th chakra. We must transcend this way of being, and connect from the realm of Spirit, our 7th chakra. Interestingly, the realm of Spirit is the realm that technology actually squashes.
Our discussions must be based on, and come from a place of “how” we are relating, not “what” we are saying. Once we connect in Spirit,- in energy-,the desire to nurture our Earth, our World, will organically arise within us all, because we will experience it in a new way, as part of us.
We will feel it.
Humans are more than stewards of the Earth; We ARE the Earth….And as humans, we are also beyond the Earth as well.
This is the paradox.
BOTH are true.
Our dualistic thinking needs to end and will end when we FEEL our authentic nature.
Never try to change a thought when you can change an energetic connection in the physical realm.
Oli Skyes is incredibly insightful with this song!
Creativity IS the generation of this harmonious energy and the catalyst for our connection with Spirit. When we start to view all our human interactions as a creative work, when we view all human conversations as an exploration to transform the old within ourselves (not others) into a new artistic creation and understanding, we cease being concerned about the “other”, and rather become invested in forming and shaping our own authentic self and expression.
Doing so is not selfish.
On the contrary, it frees our interactions and invites the “other” into our own world and experience. This is something shaming and criticism will never do.
Shame is like yelling at a flower to bloom.
Its abusive and also ridiculous and ineffective.
Invitation is the only way.
Invitation provides optional elements for the flower to bloom in.
The flower doesn’t need to be “nudged”.
It doesn’t need manipulated.
It doesn’t need genetically altered.
It doesn’t need rules or control.
All it needs is an environment of harmonious energy, and it will bloom IN ITS OWN TIME.
Humans are the same way.
“Do you know why the flowers never bloom?
Will you retry or let the pain resume?” BMTH
Each human, each creature and organism on this Earth is the same. Get the vibration harmonious, and an awakening will happened because ALL will unite, but not because of a harmonious thought,…but rather because of a harmonious energy.
The lie is that this harmony will happen in our minds.
The lie is that this harmony is a connection that will be done through engineered software and cables and “wifi”.
The information age is enslaving and must die.
Its time for the energetic age to arise, and for a the new “luden” to awaken.
“I need a new leader, we need a new Luden.” BMTH
That luden is already here.
The new human BEING already exists. Its within all of us.
It simply needs to bloom.
We havent even begun to access what we are meant to be!
But if we squash our sun, and taint our water, and limit our wavelengths into smaller and smaller fields, calling “faster”, “better”, and this one-way-of-thinking, bee-hive mindset, “harmony”, then we will never awaken to the beauty that is waiting to blossom within our hearts.
The only question is, do you believe?
You both are wrong! The song is about Sam Porter Bridges the main character from Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding. He hit up BMTH to right a song for the game’s soundtrack and in a few days the band recorded the song “about the game” for the sound track. Play the game and you’ll understand. It’s just that simple. No more, no less.