Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
Communities come in many forms.
A little over a year ago, a dear friend of mine, Phill, asked if I wanted to join two of his friends (and one of their friends) in a five-person group aptly and simply named "Music Friends." So naturally, being a music nerd, I jumped at the chance.
The community is simple. In Whatsapp, we each have an assigned day of the week. On our designated day, we share an album that we enjoy or think is interesting, and include a personal note as to what it means to us.
We each then experience music that we've never heard, or we listen to an album we already love and thus get to enjoy nerding out with someone that also loves the same music (the self-indulgence of confirmation bias!)
I have never met the other three in the group. So in that sense, it is a unique community (certainly for someone like me, a child of the 80s with an aversion to the virtual world). But communities come in many forms, and it is truly a daily highlight to interact in this way.
This morning, Andrew shared the gorgeous album by Nick Mulvey, First Mind. I treasure this album for many reasons (and enhanced further when a dear friend of mine told me they know Nick Mulvey and said he's a beautiful person). Having not listened to the album for some time, it took me back to my favourite song on that album, Meet Me There, which was inspired by a Rumi poem.
Just 42 words, written around the year 1,200, perenially capture a divine message we would do well to remind ourselves of every day. Amongst a world so often lost to a malaise of division, it reminds us of the joy when we move beyond wrongdoing and rightdoing. Which, in my humble belief, is foundational to building a better world.
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase ‘each other’ doesn’t make any sense.
In a group of "Music Friends", whereby the shared value is a supersonic nerd vibe for music, it would be easy to disagree about what good music is or isn't. For example, just delve into any sub-Reddit where fan unites for the very reason that they mutually love this artist. And yet a disproportionate amount of energy is spent by a lot of people (aggressively) lamenting the perspectives of others... it can be amusing, though often tragic.
One example of the chaos:
From the subreddit, “WestSubEver"
Which is why it is a joy to be in a community where once a day, I get to experience the music someone else loves without anything but an open mind and genuine curiosity for what they care about. That is community. And community is joy!
It is not about right or wrong. It is about genuine togetherness, where people experience something of meaning. Of course, some albums don't hit the spot, but that's interesting in itself. I love how two people's Venn diagram of music can be almost identical, yet those two people can have albums or even whole genres that totally do not align.
Imagine how the world would feel if we could extend this to all communities; where we live; where we work; where we govern; our town centres; public transport; and perhaps most of all, the roads!
I will leave you with some further Rumi wisdom as to why joy always has been, and always will be, the foundation of building a better world :)
For we live in the kingdom of joy. Do not give your heart to anything else But to the love of those who are clear joy,Do not stray into the neighborhood of despair.
Thank you for reading, and I wish you a joyful week.
Take care,
Benjamin