I have always loved the songs of Simon and Garfunkel.
They have the uncanny ability of capturing my thoughts and feelings
and beautifully expressing these in words and music.
They express in very personal terms what seem to be very universal experiences.
They capture in words and music “what oft is thought but ne’er so well expressed.”
Like, capturing the paradoxes of life in their song “The Sound of Silence:
“people talking with out speaking, people hearing without listening.”
Like, it is a shame that mankind today has the resources
to wipe out poverty but we still haven’t.
Great strides have been made in poverty alleviation in recent years;
yet, many would solve this problem through population control, including abortion. Never has the world been so small and interconnected,
yet there is even more disconnectedness and loneliness among people.
Man has fathomed matter and found the smallest particle;
he has reached out to the stars and found ginormous black holes.
Yet, he still has to slake the thirst in his heart and the hunger in his soul.
I have tried to assuage this hunger and thirst through noise and activity.
I am learning that silence and prayer are more effective in quenching this disquietude.
The other day I got to reading the lyrics of “Bookends” again:
Time it was
And what a time it was, it was
A time of innocence
A time of confidences
Long ago it must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They’re all that’s left you.
The words were so poignant, they brought me to another place and time.
I felt I just had to listen to song one more time.
So I played it.
And I was shocked.
My hearing loss has been so great there were pitches and tones I could not catch anymore. the song did not sound as moving as I remembered it. It even sounded kinda out of tune in some parts.
I realized this was part of aging. Things I realized and loved are now but memories.