Get past your hesitancy to watch The Music Of Strangers. I was not excited about it. Yeah, yeah, a multicultural music group. World music, You either already love that stuff and don’t need to be fed another encouragement to love it, or you have a hard time getting excited about eclectic sounds. I had a foot in each of those camps. I am super glad that something made me turn this on. The title is poor. It is not really about strangers making music together. It is about finding the purpose in your work, and using that unique self to change the world for the better. Moreover, it shows that the privileged are as needy for purpose and the humble are as capable of glorious impact. It is about a lot of other things too. Like Yo-Yo Ma, you start out with one idea of what you are doing and then — additional plays, bonus points and previously unimagined levels of the experience come to you.
I read a few reviews of this documentary and interestingly, each one had a very different idea of what it was about. Its that kind of film. But you are here now, so let’s stick with my lens for a bit.
Finding purpose in life and work
Who wouldn’t love to have talent so great, clear and valued that you knew exactly what to do with your life? Well it turns out that that kind of success destiny does not ensure a sense of purpose. Yo-Yo Ma, celebrated cellist/musician is sought everywhere but he wrestled with finding personal meaning in his profession — a profession that seemed to have chosen him rather than the other way around. His quest for a sense of identity around and beyond his talent sets in motion far-reaching dynamics.
Changing the world
This element is subtle and humbling and instructive. No spoilers here. As always, I want you to be able to see the work without my filter. I will just say that there is no claim made that the ensemble changes the world. There are, however, plenty of glimpses into how the individual musicians (and anyone else who understands their own gifts) are able to set in motion their own set of positive ripples. This is a film about an ensemble. Isn’t it interesting that that ensemble’s biggest impact is not through its playing but through strengthening the individuals chosen to be a part of it? People who hear the ensemble are entertained and perhaps lightly uplifted by the idea of the musical fusion. But it is the people who the individual musicians choose to instruct, help, love or grace with their stories whose lives are potentially transformed.
There are a lot of attractive images, facts (bagpipes in Spain?), and stories in The Music of Strangers. It is good to relax and let it wash over you in its somewhat unstructured form. There are meaningful takeaways, but not many other shows will so deftly convey:
- The difference between life with a profession and life with a purpose.
- Examples of how to find identity-strengthening and purpose
- What new impact a person with purpose can create.
The original Silk Road was a trade route, journey of discovery, a vector of cultural and political change.
Although some of the artists who were selected for the ensemble must have been self-actualized successful musicians on their own, it is probably safe to imagine that, for many others, becoming part of The Silk Road Ensemble gave many of them new confidence and the means to explore purpose and to have a unique impact. Who around us is just some recognition and an opportunity away from finding, broadening and using their gifts?
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, TubiTV
Better You Value: Life Lessons **** Great regular people **** Great Stories *** History **
