Healing through music

The majestic winter landscape in Starksboro, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Music has a healing effect, a way of cultivating peace within us. We know what a profoundly beautiful impact music had on a world crying out for some calm over the past year. The gift of song answered that call, and still does.

That's why music is part of the answer as we seek calming, uplifting influences at the end of a week like no other. Part of that reassuring effect is the fact that music unites. The peace, harmony and love it imparts is unconditional — it requires no political party, no race, no other background nor attribute. It spans across the human experience and blesses everyone whose heart it touches, no matter who they are.

Sometimes, the effect of a song can be enhanced by hearing it performed with a new voice, which can be a refreshing experience. Such was the case for me when I recently happened upon a 1976 performance of "Homeward Bound", the famous Simon & Garfunkel tune, sung by George Harrison and Paul Simon on the Saturday Night Live stage. This was a new experience for me, as I hadn't viewed that recording before. But I found the song, with the addition of Harrison's talent, to be comforting, just as it was when I first heard it as a young boy.

Even if some of you have heard this performance before, maybe it can be a calming reminder of not only its inspiration, but also the powerful effect of music in our hearts and in the world. Part of the power of song is its ability to stand in stark contrast to unrest, discord, and especially hate. Its beauty starts from a shared place, a place where our common humanity thrives in the joy we all feel from an inspiring song that renews our soul.

From that shared experience, music helps us recognize the potential for productive connections and powerful work that can elevate mankind's progress. Joy is an essential ingredient in that impact, because it makes us look up to the light, and helps us see our abundant potential, far above any discord in life.

Music is a lasting, positive influence that brings us together, even amid severe challenges and times of fear. It's a resource that helps us cut through the fog, dissolve tensions, and lovingly see each other through what we have in common. That starting point gives us hope, and can reveal the possibilities of what we can build together.

— Gareth Henderson