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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.

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