Music — The unselfish friend…

Music means something different to everyone. To some it is the lifeblood that gets them through the day. Yet for others, it’s like a grand novel that sits on the coffee table never to be opened. Music is not demanding. It relishes being the context of life but is also quite pleased to rest in the background as an afterthought.

Or is it? Music may have the wisdom to know that our subconscious mind is cataloging memories and the music comes along with it. Music knows that it has the power to incite memories. Music knows that it cannot be forgotten.

When asking others what music means to them, responses vary:
“Music makes me move and calms me down.”
“I listen to music when I’m doing a hobby. Rock helps me relieve stress.”
“I listen to all different types of music at all different times. It takes me into a creative world and motivates me. The style depends on my mood, from classical to jamming out to Rob Zombie. It is a way that I express my mood or alter my mood. I can’t imagine a world without music. What a sad place it would be.”

What does music mean to me? From a communal standpoint, music is glue. It brings people together. Music has the power to speak to all ages at one single time without even saying a word. From a personal perspective, the value of music cannot be harnessed. And depending upon what hat I am wearing, the purpose of the benefit changes. At any point in time, I may be a creator (not an accomplished one), curator, or consumer of music. But no matter which role I’m playing, it all comes back to the intangible good.

Music has the power to inspire, challenge, engage, heal, alter mindsets and give hope. In the business sector “systemic” change has become a buzz word. I cannot think of a catalyst for more systemic change in our mental and physical lives than music as it affects how the whole system functions.

As one adds to their list of ingredients for a healthy life, right there with water, food and exercise, be sure to list music. It is an activity that is not mutually exclusive. It shares time with any other activity quite benevolently — like a supportive friend that encourages along the journey.