Soothing the Savage…Pain

How I’m Coping Amidst Horror and Tragedy

It feels so strange that I even have to say this again, but this is not a political post.

That there are justifications, rationalizations and qualifications on commentary right now is a huge part of the problem. I’ll address that another time. For now, this is about how I’m finding some semblance of peace amidst a world that feels like its burning around us.

I will not debate or discuss specifics of last weekend’s catastrophic horror in Israel — I’m leaving that to others more well-suited than I.

What I do is parse language and figure out how sh*tshows like this happen in the first place. What I do is dig under motivations and get curious. Most of all, what I do is seek ways to find grounding so I can move into action from a place that is meaningful rather than reactive.

In other words, I take a f*cking minute and try not to be a judgmental a**hole.

There are a few solutions to which I turn. If you’re new to me dear reader, they are (in no particular order): music, dogs and ice hockey.

These are the pillars of my metaphorically-driven universe. I toss in architecture and gardening/nature every now and again for good measure, but if you’re reading my perspectives, chances are more than likely it’ll be through one of those first three lenses.

When it comes to navigating shattering grief, fear and pain of course one can go easily to the power of that. How just looking at a dog has been scientifically proven to release happy hormones. Add to that petting a shmoopy-faced pup’s fur and your blood pressure will drop. Literally.

Nah, that would be too easy.

Today — the soothing is music, Yes, music is said to soothe the savage beast.

When that beast is the unfurled dragon of fear in the face of abject hatred, you’d think no music would work.

Think again.

I came across this young man a few days ago. Apparently I’m a bit late to the game but he’s a young teen from London whose voice isn’t just described as Angelic. It actually is.

You see there is a “divine frequency”. It’s defined as 963hz and it’s said that is the frequency at which the Crown Chakra — the gateway to spiritual connection — gets unlocked.

That is the frequency at which this young man is singing. Do yourself a favor, before you hit play, sit down with no distraction. Let yourself listen.

Okay if your chills have subsided and you can see through the mist of tears that may have formed in your eyes (if neither of those things happened, don’t worry, you’re not broken, frequencies can be interesting that way — and if you want to chat further about it, just hit me up), here’s another example of musical power as healing.

It was 1936. Samuel Barber was 26 years old and he wrote Adagio for Strings. Originally scored for a string quartet, it made its way into American cultural lexicon as a theme of mourning — first at Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s funeral, then at the funeral of John F. Kennedy. It was used — powerfully — in the 1986 film Platoon. Swelling and soaring, rising and falling through the score to represent the pain and loss from war.

Over time, this powerful piece of music that literally tugs heart strings, evolved beyond pain. It’s morphed into a sound of hope and healing.

In October 2017, after the catastrophic October 1 “Highway 91 Festival Terror Attack” in Las Vegas, the conductor of the Las Philharmonic Donato Cabrera made a bold choice. The orchestra was to hold a regularly scheduled concert just two weeks after the shooting. Cabrera chose to make substantive changes to the program in honor of the victims and survivors and placed Barber’s Adagio at the top of the program.

Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center was filled with concertgoers, including first responders and families of victims and survivors — all who had been invited to attend as guests of the orchestra.

It was precisely the healing balm the city needed. This is a performance of the piece by the LA Symphony’s Conductor, Gustavo Dudamel.

It seems we keep saying these are “unprecedented times” and that each time we think that terror, horror, destruction and pain can’t get any worse, they do. What if we’re being called forward to a lesson. A lesson that only can be learned in the MIDDLE of the pain.

And while this would be a point where I could diverge into a discussion of what’s happening, I will refrain … for now.