Harmony Much?

You may have a limited view on what harmony is. What is harmony to you?

For many it is sound. It is the combination of tones to produce a different, expanded tone. For those of you talented in the ways of music, you are able to select the proper note with which to harmonize with another note. Typically, you are looking for a note that, when joined with the already existing note creates a chord. Which chord you create determines the "pleasing" nature of that harmony. Major chords seem more pleasing in general. Minor chords feel like dark clouds are rolling in. Both can have very real effects on our minds and bodies. Humans are in tune with music and harmonies by and large.

Why is that? How is it that humans are generally musical or drawn to music? Some of the very early records of human interaction include music. Think of aboriginal drum beats or crude wind instruments used to convey emotion or simple creativity. How did that come about?

Humans are social creatures. The reason you're able to read this right now from a guy who peaked in high school is because he contributed enough to the world where he could trade his work for access to a keyboard, a computer, internet service, and time to read and reflect. He owes all this to people that put food in his nearby grocery store, invent tech like computers and the internet, keep violent people away from him and so on. I gave a little and received a lot and for that I am very thankful.

How is it that I could give so little and receive so much? Please, if I work with you, take this into context. I still need a job.

It is because social creatures create something larger than themselves when they work in harmony. Two or more people working together to create something create something that is bigger than what they could accomplish alone. This is how we have bridges, restaurants, and Arrested Development (best show ever?). This is also known as gestalt.

Do you know how to sing harmony? There are ways to learn it, improve upon it, and expand your ability to harmonize with other musicians. The same goes for harmonizing with other people. There are ways to see the effects of human harmony. My experience is, when you do, you want more. Getting in touch with the positive effect you can have on others and that others can have on you is one of the miracles of life.

When two singers with similar voices harmonize, it is difficult to distinguish the individual notes. The harmony is its own sound. This is a form of superposition of waves. Technology has even produced supersonic sound waves (supersonic = you can't hear them because they are outside the frequency of human hearing), that when they become superimposed, create the experience of sound coming from nowhere if you are situated where the two waves combine. This is called hypersonic sound. Here's a good TED talk on it.

So, harmony can even create something from (apparently) nothing.

Getting back to how humans are generally musical creatures...

Deep down in each of us is code. It is executed every day. Oxygen and sugar is converted into ATP by your mitochondria (look it up), your heart pumps, and muffin tops are converted to, well..... different muffin tops. We have code that knows harmony helps us live long and prosper. We are drawn to others naturally at first. Then, unfortunately, our minds begin to develop and do what they do best - keep us safe.

This is what I call poor wiring or "code gone wrong". We spend our first 15 to 30 years setting up our wiring (mostly subconsciously, mind you) and our remaining years (if we're lucky and become truly self aware) determining if we have good wiring, immaturely blaming others for our wiring for a bit until finally rolling up our sleeves and undoing and redoing our own wiring, realizing that we were responsible the WHOLE time for who we were and are.

In this process, harmony truly shows itself as why we are here. Life is a shared experience. It isn't unique to you, now is it?

Understand your shyness is their shyness. Your fear is their fear. You are not alone in any of those feelings you think are only yours. How silly it is to think that your experience of life is really that different than someone else's. Sure, the shades are different, but the light is the same.

So go out and have your voice heard. Combine it with others. Show them if they don't see it, how beautiful harmony is. Make something from nothing and let that ring out for others to hear. Your voice has a message worth sharing. Then make something new in the next moment.

I would love to hear from you. You can follow the Contact link at the bottom of the page or reach out to me on Instagram at @twoimportantthingsofficial.

Namaste and all that good stuff.

(Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash)