The Power of Harmony
Together We Stand
Richmond Hill has recently endured historic flooding, yet through the chaos, beauty has shown. This small, but rapidly growing community has answered the call for help as dozens of homes have faced uncertainty in the rising waters. From sand bags and boats, to grocery runs and lodging, the outpouring of love from neighbors has been a truly inspiring sight to behold. The unstoppable force of nature has been met with the capable hands of togetherness; this is the power of harmony! If only we could fully digest this time of collaboration and store it within an unforgettable vault, maybe then we could see the tides of healing rise to heights unimaginable.
Humanity simply does not have to waste its time fighting over our differences and pushing for conversion. Instead, we can focus on creating harmony within our differences. A symphony sounds better when the strings are accompanied by the woodwinds, the brass, and the percussion. Each instrument has its own, unique strengths and weaknesses, so when brought into one harmonized piece, true magic occurs. There is depth within diversity. There is victory within variety. The beauty of harmony arises not only in music and neighborhoods, but life as a whole.
Body Harmony
Take our bodies for example. Your body is composed of a vast network of interconnected systems. Each system plays a vital role in maintaining homeostasis, our body’s state of harmony. When our body is operating within good harmony, our capacity to thrive is near limitless. But, when any one of these systems falter, the rest of the body becomes disorganized and begins to sputter. All too often, we lose sight of this powerful and beautiful interconnectedness. We neglect the health and value of some systems while becoming hyper focused on others. Thankfully, our body has an internal compass in place to help guide us towards balance, but this compass is often misunderstood and villainized: this compass is known as pain.
Pain communicates dysfunction and disharmony to our consciousness. Our body’s compass doesn't point north though - it points inward, toward balance. Without pain, we would have no true guidance. We wouldn’t know when to eat without hunger; when to retract without hurt; when to rest without fatigue; or when to gather without loneliness. Without pain, survival would be difficult, and thriving would be near impossible. Yet, we often toss our pain to the side in pursuit of “peace”, all but ensuring sustained disharmony. Ignoring your pain in pursuit of peace is a lot like taking the batteries out of your smoke alarm just to stop it from beeping. Though the noise can be piercing, it is a necessary call to action! With our bodies, we may not be able to fully eradicate our pain, but we can certainly leverage its guidance. Thanks to our pain, we can hopefully avoid tragedy all while discovering new paths towards greater harmony.
Universal Harmony
As we saw with the flooding in Richmond Hill, the value of listening to our pain in the pursuit of harmony doesn’t stop within a closed ecosystem. Pursuing harmony also acts as a metronome for the beating heart of society. A fertile soil for problem solving and growth is created within the cadence of harmonized systems. In order to foster a boundless commitment to the wellbeing of a community, we must first acknowledge the innate and infinite value of every person found within it. When we listen to the pain of the world around us, and respond with love, we become instruments of change and beacons of hope.
In an age where nearly every channel you turn to screams of chaos and doom, we need hope to be magnified! Do not become distracted by the noise of worry, instead focus on the reality of progress. Sure, we may have seen some major global turbulence in the last few decades, but do not forget where we have come from. Whether you look through a history book, a telescope, or a microscope, I encourage you to recognize the patterns of redemption displayed within the universe around us. Observe the patterns of disorder manifesting into order. Call it God or physics, there is surely a force within our universe that turns chaos into beauty.
It is my current belief that our universe was born out of division. From a singular point came everything that is, and everything that will be. This act of division was a necessary chaos for the introduction of diversity. Thankfully, time is weaving a thread of redemption into this story, slowly sewing a harmony out of the chaos of division. Though we do not have true control over the chaos of life, we surely have an influence. Because of this influence, I want to encourage us to be all the more intentional with our words, our actions, and even our thoughts. Start first with pursuing an internal peace, allowing your pain to serve as a guide; not to be ignored, but to be acted upon. Then, gently respond to the pain of others. Thanks to a wonderful human ability called empathy, we have the ability to feel the pain of others; responding to shared pain with love is arguably one of the greatest forces for creating societal harmony. Lastly, share your journey with others. Your path to finding your center may look radically different from others around you, but do not be afraid of vulnerability. Sharing your journey opens a door to refinement and inspiration. The more we boldly pursue and share love of self, others, and the force that binds us all, the closer we march towards true harmony.
