John Y’s Musings from the Middle: What U2 Means at 50

What the band U2 means to you at 50.

A portrait of human philosophical maturation and wisdom.

In my late 20s and early 30s, I listened over and over to “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” I wasn’t sure what the song was about. It had a great sound and the lyrics sounded very deep.

So I listened to the song frequently because it made me feel smart and depressed about the right philosophical questions in life. (Always better than being depressed about the wrong philosophical questions in life).

At 50, it’s still a great song. And I enjoy listening to it.

But I have an entirely different perspective on it when I just heard it again tonight for the fist time in a while.

I thought to myself, “I found what I was looking for but can’t remember why I started looking for it in the first place and now don’t know what to do with it now that I’ve found it.”

Followed by, “Dang it! Where did I put it? Now I can’t find it again. Oh well. Who cares. Maybe a bird will eat it.”