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Abdul-Rehman Malik, journalist and broadcaster

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I think there鈥檚 a little something in all of us that wants to be a rebel. But when I started high school, some 28 years ago this week, being a non-conformist was the last thing on my mind. I was an awkward tween who didn鈥檛 have many friends and was one of just a few exotic looking brown kids.

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I eventually found a group of fellow misfits. We were like a clich茅 from a 80s teen flick: we played chess at lunch hour, read fantasy novels in the library and debated whether Kirk or Picard was the better Star Trek captain.

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My rebellion came through the music I listened to. Annoyed by everyone鈥檚 slavish devotion to the weekly Top 40 charts, I decided I was going literally going to back to the future. I applied superglue to the tuning dial of my transistor radio so that it was physically stuck to the so-called 鈥渙ldies鈥� station.

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It was during that year I fell in love with Nina Simone, the Mamas and the Papas and of course Frankie Valli. I couldn鈥檛 get enough of tracks like 鈥淒ecember 1963鈥�. Sweet surrender! I was smitten.

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I am sure KT would agree, music like Frankie鈥檚 has a timeless quality. It gives us optimism and love; it helps us see beyond our fears.

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This weekend over two million people from around the world will gather on the desert plains outside of the holy city Mecca to express their hope. They are marking the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage, which Muslims must complete at least once in their lifetime. Dressed in modest white robes and setting aside most creature comforts, they will perform rites commemorating the life of the Prophet Abraham and his family.

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I am certain there is a music you hear when you stand amongst the pilgrims. While it isn鈥檛 what I used to hear on that oldies station, it鈥檚 full of abundant optimism and love. It鈥檚 the music of voices raised in prayer 鈥� for mercy, for peace, for a better world.

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I made it through high school and I learned something about being a rebel. Like the pilgrims, who set aside their day-to-day lives for a few days, it鈥檚 not so much about connecting to what鈥檚 new. To borrow a line from Frankie, it鈥檚 really about working our way back to what鈥檚 true.