Music or noise
I really appreciate Seth Godin’s daily blog. It is positive, civil, and never noisy. This morning the blog is about noise and signal. He reminds the reader “Cut down your noise, improve your signal.”
Earlier this morning I listened to a Ted talk entitled “Is civility a sham?” by Teresa Sham. She concludes it is not, although at one time she thought it was. Both of these individuals reminded me of the power of action; the power of what Mr. Godin calls the signal.
When I think of the signal I think of the essential message I am attempting to communicate. When I speak or write in sound bites or pronouncements my intent is to bully the person with my opinion. This intent has nothing to do with communication and, thus nothing to do with problem solving. The purpose is to create noise. Noise is the opposite of music. Music uplifts, soothes, challenges and sends a signal to the deep part of my soul. It provokes tears, laughter, delight, confusion, passion and a host of other emotions and thoughts. Noise elicits a sense of dissonance; of discord. The sounds of an orchestra, an instrument, a musical voice, nature at work and play, children playing, a poem, or a carefully crafted sentence arrives as music.
The intent of the signal of music is to communicate; of noise to tear down, destroy, shut up; to prove that I am louder, smarter, wiser or more powerful;
Noise is not kind, civil or intended to improve a relationship.
It seems to me that each moment of the day I can choose to create noise or music. Every action, spoken or unspoken, creates energy which affects the entire universe. That energy is destined to nurture, energize, comfort or confront. Just for today I choose to send forth music.
Written November 19, 2018.
I really appreciate Seth Godin’s daily blog. It is positive, civil, and never noisy. This morning the blog is about noise and signal. He reminds the reader “Cut down your noise, improve your signal.”
Earlier this morning I listened to a Ted talk entitled “Is civility a sham?” by Teresa Sham. She concludes it is not, although at one time she thought it was. Both of these individuals reminded me of the power of action; the power of what Mr. Godin calls the signal.
When I think of the signal I think of the essential message I am attempting to communicate. When I speak or write in sound bites or pronouncements my intent is to bully the person with my opinion. This intent has nothing to do with communication and, thus nothing to do with problem solving. The purpose is to create noise. Noise is the opposite of music. Music uplifts, soothes, challenges and sends a signal to the deep part of my soul. It provokes tears, laughter, delight, confusion, passion and a host of other emotions and thoughts. Noise elicits a sense of dissonance; of discord. The sounds of an orchestra, an instrument, a musical voice, nature at work and play, children playing, a poem, or a carefully crafted sentence arrives as music.
The intent of the signal of music is to communicate; of noise to tear down, destroy, shut up; to prove that I am louder, smarter, wiser or more powerful;
Noise is not kind, civil or intended to improve a relationship.
It seems to me that each moment of the day I can choose to create noise or music. Every action, spoken or unspoken, creates energy which affects the entire universe. That energy is destined to nurture, energize, comfort or confront. Just for today I choose to send forth music.
Written November 19, 2018.
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