THE SOUNDS OF MUSIC

  Last night I was roaming the rooms seeking what, I could not have told you. Nothing tempted me -not jigsaws, not preparing for a major painting on a large canvas, not even one of the many books that I am looking forward to reading. The place for me seemed to not yet having been invented. Desperate, I turned to the list of Tivo'ed programs and there it was. The answer. A concert from 1974 featuring John Denver, one of my favorite all time singers. I settled in and prepared to enjoy.

However, I did more than enjoy his wonderful music in passive moments of enjoyment. I guess it was teacher mode intruding into my life, never seeming to leave behind the temptations, the instincts, of an educator. To take from a book, movie, song, play, a lesson, a discussion, a prodding of audiences to think, deeper beyond surface enjoyment.  Music speaks to the soul, to the heart and mind and we must allow the 'extra' in if we are to fully enhance the experience.

Thus, the penetration of his words into my soul and into my brain. Listen to the lyrics as they flow swiftly via the musical score. Then be astonished at the evolvement of the meaning of these words, from their first impression to the meaning now. Life changes us, stresses differing items and categories at various stages of our lives. We hear it differently, and therein is the beauty, the power of music.

The music of the night is heard throughout the day and the years. We can try to block the notes and their inspirations and messages but somehow, they break through. History teaches us that.

Now back to the Rocky Mountains and their beauty, 'living', alive, never to die according to the words of his song. Beautiful shots of water flowing clearly, in volume, of lovely walks, are replaced in one's mind with current pictures of these same mountains, now challenged in its life via over settlement, vicious forest fires, droughts and overuse of water. How much damage we have inflicted, trashing this natural G-d given beauty in this world. We wonder, are the scars, the suppurating wounds on Nature, outer symbols, a kind of Dorian Grey reflection of our inner souls, the impurities grown within? If so, we had better take warning and soon.

"Follow me where I go, what I do, who I know
Make it part of you to be a part of me
Follow me up and down, all the way and all around
Take my hand, say you'll follow me."

We sing along, voicing these lyrics, once so inspiring to young stalwart hearts, stepping out on the paths of adulthood, thinking, knowing, they knew it all, their optimism strong. Surely, they would either be the one people followed or they would find the right person to follow. The sunshine on their shoulders would indeed make them happy. However, when the brightness revealed the flip side, the harm that an excess of even the good, the altruistic, carried too far, extremes, can cause, tears did come to the eyes. And so, they cried, as  bitter understandings hit their physical, mental and emotional eyes. 

Life was not as simple as it once had been. The opening verse of the song impacts their minds - the difficulty of truly loving someone, allowing the fulfillment of the wish, indeed, the necessity, to mesh with others, to indeed follow one's dedication to a positive outcome, dreams and realities meshed together. A difficult, challenging slog through life.

Denver's songs appeal to the young and optimistic, the ones out to change the world, as well as to the other end, those on the shady side of life, having lived long years, fought the battles and won some wars, gained benefits and gifts even as costs were too high at times. These are us - whose music now reformats itself, new favorites. The bombastic, pounding catchy rhythms are now playing second chair to presently poignant statements of repairing the damage we have left untouched, the new we have caused, how little all our efforts amounted to. How much we had left behind for others to now take upon their shoulders.

We sigh at their naiveite. We smile slowly as we and they sing the same songs. We sing of yesterdays, todays and tomorrows from differing viewpoints. These kids think these are separate entities while we know that they are one, a flowing river which often backtracks on itself, or grows new sandbars and has hidden dangerous life threatening currents. While we continue to love, cherish and sing the fast, the loud, the marching songs with remaining inspiration, we also sing along with songs of memory, of the truth of life.

 Once, "those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd  never end" but they did. Some of us sold out, others continued the struggle. Some created, some taught the new generations, some messed around with the world. Some even reconfigured themselves finding new depths within. 

We must now help those coming along how to choose music. When to mesh with it  and when to separate from it. How to use music for the good, not for incitement to violence and hate. Not for exclusion but inclusion, To hear the pleas of lyrics as they remind us that we are all the same - like it or not, admit it or not. We need the music of the future to be fit for the world, to find and encourage and sing of that which unites us rather than what separates us. Not the music of the rat-a-tat music of discordant notes, of the boom of explosions, the cries of the wounded. The music must be that of taking time to understand, to mesh, to join together to achieve global interests of  saving this planet and emerging from these struggles as better people. To respect the music of others.

Music, properly applied, can add to the serenity necessary in our complex world. Music is needed to smooth transfers of knowledge and power from generation to generation. Songs of defiance to those who would impede progress and push hate - We Shall Overcome. The song The Partisans of the Forests and Ghettoes. 

It is the plaintive plea of "Country road, take me home, to the place where I belong" - even as we are perhaps not exactly sure where that place is. So we try to find the proper country road, hear its music and tread its path together.

Not an easy country road it requires us to walk alongside each other, not ahead, not behind, but alongside. The music is to remind us that we are walking the same, staring at the same stars, dreaming the same dreams, hoping and praying for the best for  our kids.

So we pray together. We hope together. We continue on that path and who knows....

Listen to the sounds of the music.

Together.

We must act together, in concert, in harmony.

Together - Together we can achieve it all. 

Together we can

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

May he be granted a timely and complete healing.

May he always remain on the road of faith, healing and strength.

May we all walk on that same road.

May Hashem hear all our voices raised in prayer. 

Amen. Amen.