Skip to main content

The Last Part of Bridge Over Troubled Water

As I write this my wife is painting in another room, while I was doing my work.

I was vaguely aware that she was listening to music while she was painting, and my mind caught some of Bob Marley and the Wailers "Three Little Birds". But my focus was on writing so that opportunity to listen to the wonderful Marley slipped away from me.

However a couple of minutes later my automatic mind alerted me to the fact that what was now playing was "Bridge over Troubled Water". I paused to deliberately hear it better and gauge where in the song it was at. It was just at the start of the last verse, so I stopped my writing, closed my eyes and just absorbed.

Musical tastes are unique, but for me that last part of the Simon and Garfunkel song is one of the crowning achievements of music in my lifetime. I listened with joy and awe as Art Garfunkel sang it. His voice in general, and especially in that song, is often described as angelic, and whilst I don't know any angels, the voice is so pure and clear it does feel other-worldly, something beyond normal human expression.

As the crescendo came and went, and I was absorbed in its beauty, it struck me how astonishing human creativity can be. It is one of the many mysteries of the human mind, and at its best, it connects us in a way that little else can.

So right now, although I've taken my mind from my work to write this down, I just feel grateful and humbled by the wonders of the best of humanity, as evoked by Paul Simon's incredible creativity and arrangement, and Garfunkel's singing gift.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

C.R.P. 4: 114

  You examine everything in too much detail. Who but the perfect person could comprehend all this. Their discernment unearths all falsehood. They get to the heart of issues and know how to protect the foundation of truth. They ignore all life... The perfect person has set their heart upon what is right. This is an analysis of what we should focus on in our lives. Not knowledge and its infinite distractions from what matters. The flow of existence is so enormous, so ancient, so multifaceted that we can't really grasp it so instead we should just accept it. The falsehood Chuang refers to is all human attempts to control, manipulate, conquer nature. The foundation of truth is that all life, all events, all experiences are simply inevitable part of this single flow. We he writes that they ignore all life, I think he means all human matters, all our petty ideas and discussions, and all our perceived grand plans, visions, concepts. What is right is going with the flow of existence, and t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lessons from the Book of Chuang Tzu - Chapter 19

**Know the difference between enjoying and engaging with the Universe and humanity** Don't look for the Universal in humans, but listen to the universal in the universe, for paying attention to the beauties and wonders of the Universe is life-giving, while attending to humanity damages life. So basically what is human in not worthy of our attention - except kindness - whilst the magnificence of the Universe is what to notice and enjoy.
Post a Comment
Read more

Chuang Random Page 3: 134

  The people had knowledge but they didn't use it; all this was perfect Oneness. Ruling by decrees and grand plans, they polluted the purity of nature and destroyed simplicity. The Tao was abandoned and Good substituted. Then innate nature was abandoned and hearts allowed to determine their own way. Heart linked with heart through knowledge but were unable to give the world peace. Pomp and ceremony were added to this knowledge. This displaced simplicity, resulting in the people being confused and disobedient. Perceiving this, we can see how the world has lost the Tao. In this sort of world how can the world come to appreciate the Tao? Even if the sage does not retreat to the forest his virtue is still hidden whether he likes it or not. The times were not favourable and it was not possible, so they put down deep roots, remained still and waited. This was the Tao by which they survived. To have knowledge is by itself no bad thing. But to use it starts to unfurl the connection between...
Post a Comment
Read more