A Beautiful Noise
Hi there Everyone,
Well, I have to say right up front that I am a bit of a Neil Diamond tragic, must be an age thing!
Neil Diamond wrote one of my favourite songs called ‘ It’s a Beautiful Noise”. It talks about the sounds of the street, the hustle and bustle of people, the sirens and the horns and although they can be loud and sometimes in your face, they have a certain beauty because they are what makes the world go around.
They represent who we are every day. They are a part of people communicating with each other. They display every emotion that a human can experience. They truly make a beautiful noise.
I know that sometimes we just want to escape and that is OK, but the lesson is not to resent the things that are such an important part of our life.
My office is on the fifth floor right on the corner of Collins and William Streets in Melbourne. Every day I experience the sounds of trams and taxis and fire engines, combined with telephones and people shouting and laughing, but I never stop to consider the significance of all of these sounds in my life. Rather, I often get annoyed at them.
I am so grateful for the privilege of being a part of this noise; the beautiful noise that makes up our world. It may seem such a small thing to be grateful for, but I am!
So, take the filters off and listen to the great sounds around you, because they are who you are.
Keep getting disturbed!
PS. Just as I finished writing this blog someone in my office did a massive sneeze. The timing could not have been more perfect – made me laugh which is always a good thing!
Des Penny
Proteus Leadership is one of Australia’s premier leadership training and development companies. Proteus Leadership provides leadership courses and management training to a range of industries and assists organisations to build positive workplace cultures, implement change and Create Great Leaders. Proteus also facilitates a range of world-class management courses, workshops, conferences and events across Australia and beyond with the sole purpose of bringing leaders together to connect and grow.
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One response to “A Beautiful Noise”
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Morning Des
I have just stopped to take five minutes out of a particularly crazy working day to read your blog….and I’m glad I did.
Just as Neil Diamond’s music was the inspiration for your blog, I was reminded of a dance movie I recently watched, in which the main character loved to film the goings on around him, specifically the creative people in life; to capture their perspective on why they loved to dance, using the sounds of his beloved New York City to bring it all together. From this he created a film that was so good, one of his friends secretly submitted it to the film college he had been longing (but doubted his ability) to join on his behalf. Overnight the film maker’s life changed…all because he stopped to capture the “Beautiful Noises” around him and someone else knew it had to be shared.
As I watched this movie, I realised there was something about the sounds of the Hudson River racing past in the early dawn of a new day, the angry car horns of wall to wall traffic, the sirens charging off to save somebody, the passion of different languages over a cup of coffee or a shared meal, the excited laughter of children chasing that ever elusive ball in the park, the cooing of pigeons nesting under the railway bridges, the clash of music emanating from the street vendor carts and shops, the rumble of the subway trains as they carry the people around the city, right down to the tinkling icicles breaking off the rooves as Spring arrives, that most would just shut out, preoccupied instead by iPods and mobile phones.
It’s a shame really, because in our quest for invention and convenience, it is easy to miss the beautiful noises of the day that we all take for granted or switch off from and I can’t help wondering how many others actually do stop to take it all in, and what they make of it all?
I have been reminded that standing still, if only for a few moments every day, is to be grateful for Life as it goes about its business: brightening my grey matter with fruitful, colourfully noisy and inspirational experiences in the process.
So thanks Des, for once again reminding me to stop for a moment and take it all in.
Enjoy your weekend.
Kaz