Music and the Human Spirit

I don’t know him very well. The truth is, if it wasn’t for Facebook, I probably wouldn’t know him at all. He’s a young man in his twenties living in another part of the world. We’ve exchanged a few emails and other chat messages. He’s bright, educated, well versed in philosophy, and holds a degree in computer science from a university near his home.

While we’ve exchanged thoughts on philosophy and the troubles of the world, he’s curious about my belief in God. It’s a belief he doesn’t share. Nor do most of his friends. “Life is just what it is,” he’s said to me.

I understand his perspective. He and I agree that many people have beliefs in a deity that focus on how God will meet their needs, providing everything from wealth to parking spaces. Like him, I find the belief in a fickle deity who changes fate for one person but not another as something that escapes me.

What strikes me most about my friend is the deep sense of spirituality he communicates on Facebook. He generally articulates that spirituality by posting lyrics from music. Sometimes it’s music from his parent’s generation (or should I say “my generation”) like the lyrics of Bob Dylan. Other times, it’s music from contemporary indie rock artists whom I don’t know. There are clear themes of personal longing, the desire to make the world a better place, and combinations of existential loneliness balanced with compassion for others. It’s very clear that music – and the lyrics – provide an avenue to express deeper life reflections that stir within him.

Many people find that music plays an essential role in the spiritual dimension of their lives.. Meanwhile, church folk often think about religious and classical music as part of their spirituality because of the direct reference to their beliefs. Over the last twenty years the genre of New Age music has been an aide for those who seek quiet and solitude as an essential element of spirituality. In addition to these obvious connections, lyrics of many songs from various genres reflect aspects of life that people find difficult to put into words.

In other postings, I’ve written about how contemporary artists like Alanis Morissette who articulates her own process of healing and recovery from childhood scars in her music; Lady Gaga’s empowerment of youth who find themselves isolated and alone; and the vision of global community in the music of the Black Eyed Peas. The poetry of musical lyrics can express the deep emotion and desire that undergird what people hold most dear. That is the stuff of spirituality.

Music also plays an important role in spiritual practice. Chant is practiced within many great traditions of the world. A key spiritual practice within traditional Protestant denominations has been hymn singing as a form of corporate prayer. Choirs, soloists, and other musical performers draw people from their ordinary focus to a different level of attention as their spirits are up-lifted. For myself, when I have found it difficult to sit in silence for meditation, the simple melody of Pachebel’s Canon in D draws me to inner stillness like nothing else can. For others, the rhythm of drumming does much the same thing.

While many books explore a wide variety of spiritual practices and extol their virtues, few consider the important role that music plays in touching the heart and soul of people. Lyrics help to express deep longings while melodies give rise to wonder, excitement, and even inner quiet. One friend of mine relayed this sentiment recently in an email:

“For me, music plays an ‘essential role’ in touching the heart and soul of people. Reflecting upon personal experience, music has the capacity to not only reach, but more so, to communicate with that aspect of my personhood which I identify as ‘soul’. I have never had spoken words ‘stir my soul’ as profoundly as music. Nor have I ever experienced a more profound communication person-to-person through words, as I have through music.”

I hope that I’m able to convey to my friend at the other end of the globe that the belief in a deity is not the most important thing. Instead, it is the care of his own spirit: exploring it, nurturing it, and allowing it to be illumined. It’s the inner experience, what I know of as the Divine Light, that brings hope and transformation in our lives. It seems to me that he is best able to nurture his spirit at this time in his life through music. And that’s a wonderful thing.