The Symphony of Life
Human life appears to me as a great orchestra
in which we are the players. The great composition to be performed
is the "Symphony of Life," its infinitude of dissonances
and melodies blending into one colossal tone picture of harmony
and grandeur. We players must study the laws of music and the score
of the Great Symphony and we must practice diligently and persistently,
until we can play our part unerringly in harmony with the concepts
of the Great Composer. At the same time we must learn to keep our
instrument, the body, in the best possible condition; for the greatest
artist, endowed with a profound knowledge of the laws of music and
possessed of the most perfect technique, cannot produce musical
and harmonious sounds from an instrument with strings relaxed or
overtense, or with its body filled with rubbish.
The artist must learn that the instrument,
its material, its construction and its care are just as subject
to law as the harmonics of the score.
In the final analysis, everything is vibration
acting in and on the universal ethers, which are held to be the
primordial substance. Possibly the ethers themselves are modes of
vibration.
That which is constructive is harmonious
vibration. That which is destructive is inharmonious or discordant
vibration.
Against this it may be urged that devolution
has its harmonics as well as evolution, that every symphony is made
up of dissonances as well as of harmonies. To this I answer: "Unadulterated
harmony may, solely for lack of change, become monotonous; but discords
alone never create melody, harmony, health or happiness."
As the artist seeks vibratory harmony between
his instrument and the harmonics of the universe of sound, so the
health-seeker must endeavor to establish vibratory unison between
the material elements of his body and Nature's harmonics of health
in the physical universe.
The atoms and molecules in the wood and
strings of the violin, as well as the sounds produced from them,
are modes of motion or vibration. In order to bring forth musical
and harmonious notes, the vibratory conditions of the physical elements
of the violin must be in harmonious vibratory relationship with
Nature's harmonics in the universe of sound.
The elements and forces composing the human
body are also vibratory in their nature, the same as the material
elements of the violin. They also must be kept in a certain well-balanced
chemical combination, mechanical adjustment and physical refinement
before they can vibrate in unison with Nature's harmonics in the
physical universe and thus produce the harmonies of health and strength
and beauty.
If our instrument is out of tune, or if
we ignorantly or willfully insist on playing in our own way, regardless
of the score, we create discords not only for ourselves, but also
for our fellow artists in the great orchestra of life.
Sin, disease, suffering and evil are nothing
but discords, produced by the ignorance, indifference or malice
of the players.Therefore we cannot attribute the discords of life
to the Great Composer. They are of our own making and will last
as long as we refuse to learn our parts and to play them in tune
with the Great Score. For in this way only can we ever hope to master
the art and science of right living and to enjoy the harmonies of
peace, self-content and happiness.