Harmonious Truth (feat. John Kerouac, Plato, & Brenda Ueland)

John Kerouac says that "the only truth is music". Often, in my own life, I often don't know what is true about myself until I hear it spoken by another. It is as if my ears are only tuned to listen into the voices of others. When someone else uses their voice and speaks up, saying something about their own life that resonates mine, it is as if I am suddenly reminded of my own human existence. Sometimes, when I am feeling especially unsure and need some help putting a name to my life, music can do the trick.

In my high school political philosophy class, we read ancient thinkers like Plato and Aristotle. My teacher, Mr. Hauge, loved music, but not because of the words that were spoken, but because of the messages communicated underneath. My teacher believed this because one of his favorite dudes, Plato, believed that too. Plato, in his Republic, says that music holds the keys to the liberal arts and has the ability to educate the soul. The music I listen to helps educate me, even when I don't know it. The music we listen too itself informs our soul, but the words of music impact me just as much. When words get put to music, they become so much more. They become an anthem for my soul that puts into words the emotions that are already communicated to me through the music itself. This is truly important to me.

I don't like doing life alone. I'd more likely enjoy share something I love with someone else than savoring it all by myself. In my rhetoric class, we have been talking about using words in an invitational manner. When a speaker uses the right words, they are essentially inviting their audience to delight in what the speaker delights in. One of the clearest things I know to be true about myself is something that Brenda Ueland said in her book, If You Want to Write, is that I have "an impulse to share with other people a feeling or truth that I had myself". I want to share my delights with the world.

So, with all this in mind, I created a new Spotify playlist. It is like a gift to myself, a window into me and the season I am in, and like my own personalized Discover Weekly. Let me share what is speaking truth to my life and educating my soul right now. I invite you to delight with me.