The Magic of Music

I've recently been spending a lot more time listening to my favorite style of music. That style of course is Folk music. I listen to a podcast that is produced by a lovely gentleman in UK named Mike Harding. Each week Mike shares some of the best of folk music present and past. It has become a staple part of my week. Many of these songs are filled with emotion and stories, mind you there are also a good number of them that are filled with humor as well. Well this week I was trying to figure out why it is that I enjoy folk music so much. I've come to the conclusion that it's because much of the music comes from people's own experiences. Sometimes it is not their own experiences but the experiences of their ancestors or the people around them. It is a music style as Mike says that has two requirements, "four chords and the truth".

Folk music gets to the heart of the human experience. The struggle of love won and lost, the highs and lows a person goes through and the joys of friends and family, Throw in the expertly played instruments that can both lift your spirits and make you cry and you've got an idea of why I love folk music so much. Music expresses the things we do not have ability to say ourselves. That truth often brings people together from all walks of life. 

We all have those songs that we love, the kind you can't help but sing along to. There is so much music in this world and it is able to connect to everyone. People all over the world download the same music, watch youtube videos and attend concerts. It brings us together. Music is subjective and whether you enjoy the beat, the lyrics or just the artists voice I'm sure you'll find someone that shares you're passion for a song. 

Now here is my final reason for bringing up music. Since music has the ability to express our thoughts and unite us, lets use it. I'm sure many of you have seen a lot of the negative things going on around the world recently. Well, lets use music to counter the negative. Lets all find songs that express love and bring the world together. Lets remind one another of the good that is in each one of us. Let's inspire one another to be lights shining in this world. Find your favorite song on whatever platform you want and share it on social media. Caption it with something joyful and inspiring. Something like "Let's share goodness and kindness" or "Share happy thoughts with the world and you'll find a happier world" then use #bethelight. Hopefully we'll get a stream of good thoughts flowing. I'm not sure how many of you will take my call to action but I hope some of you will. One last thing, I'll leave you with an excerpt from The Two Towers that I feel expresses what I'm thinking the best.

"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Becasue how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened? But in the end it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something."

"What are we holding onto, Sam?" Frodo asked. 

"That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for."