Where the Streets Have No Name

by Sheila on October 5th, 2009

My son just asked me to watch a video that truly blew me away.

The video was U2′s halftime show for the 2002 superbowl in America – a 9/11 tribute.

I know. I’m seven years too late. I don’t watch American football (can’t really abide all stopping and starting! I mean, get on with it!) and superbowls come and go without my notice year after year. But one of the amazing things about watching this was how immediate the experience suddenly was. In a second, as the names of the victims scrolled up the virtual twin towers it all came back to me: the shock, the horror, the anger, fear and, ultimately, sorrow.

But something astonishing was taking place.

Despite the powerful image of all the names of the dead, and the graphic reminder of the towers themselves – despite, even, the dramatic moment when the ‘virtual’ towers ignited and crashed to earth – the experience was wholly positive.

What U2 was doing was to convert the feelings of anger and fear into something else.

This was a year after the attacks, and the country, the world, was still reeling from the shock, still seething with anger, still frozen with fear.

But as thousands gathered together for a football game – and as millions gathered in front of their televisions to watch – few could have realised what was about to happen.

The U2 performance faced the horror squarely, literally replaying it before our eyes, but with defiant pride, and an overwhelming tone of determination that said, ‘NO! YOU WILL NOT DESTROY MY SPIRIT!’

It was a moment of healing. Because the only real power terrorism has is to break our spirit, to fill us with terror and unfocused anger like ‘poison rain.’ And the only real power we have against terrorism is to not let that happen, to replace the fear and the anger with something far more powerful, far more effective at binding people together: love.

The stage was built in the shape of a heart, and as Bono jogged around it the crowd that cheered him were on their feet. I’m sure nearly everyone watching at home was, too. At that moment, fear abated, anger subsided, and love was allowed – possibly for the first time in a year – to enter people’s hearts and begin the healing.

With warmth,

Sheila

Music: a Pathway to Real Freedom – If you let it be!

by Sheila on September 29th, 2009

The magic of music is that music isn’t magic.

Let me explain the paradox.

Probably the most famous quote about the power of music to stir our souls is from William Congreve:

Musick has charms to soothe the savage breast, to soften rocks, to unbend the knotted oak.

Okay. The first phrase is famous; almost nobody remembers the rest of it. Still, it captures our attention for a reason. We all know that music has an ineffable power, an ability to transform our emotions in a way that is difficult or impossible to put into words.

It’s amazing how a few lines of a song can transport us back to a happier place or a happier time, or both. Or how the introductory riff of your favourite song from 1987 (mine was ‘Faith’ by George Michael) can lift you out of a funk and put a smile on your face.

And music can do more than just cheer us up. It can calm us down when we’re stressed (Nora Jones won’t let you freak out); it can energise us when we’re sluggish (I dare you to listen to Mumbo Gumbo sitting down) and it can outrage us out of complacency (as much folk music strives to do).

Sounds pretty magical to me. So why am I saying music isn’t magical? Because music cannot exert its amazing influence on us all by itself. That would be magical, but it would also take away our own power to transform our own lives. Music has its many and varied effects on us because we allow it to.

The same Beatles song that sends shivers up my spine may have no effect on you whatsoever. Similarly, hearing my favourite song from 1997 (Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind’) may leave you cold. Or it may remind you of a painful break up and depress you.

The key is awareness. Knowing that music can be one pathway to Real Freedom will help you open yourself up to its power. Seek out songs that energise you, lift you up, remind you of wonderful times and feel rich with the promise of more beauty to come. If you let it, music can lead you straight to the secret part of your soul that most needs nurturing.

Music may not be magic, but it can be magical. That is, if you let it.

With warmth,

Sheila