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The Secret Chord: My Zen Playlist
The Hebrew scriptures tell the legend of how King Saul, the first recorded King of Israel was, from time to time, tormented by an evil spirit. His advisors suggested that a skilled harpist be found and David, who would later become King, was put forward as a potential candidate. The King ordered that the young man be brought to him and a rather strange thing happened because the chronicle records that every time the evil spirit visited Saul, David simply played his harp and the spirit left the King alone. Perhaps it was this “secret chord, that David played and it pleased the Lord” that Leonard Cohen was referring to when he wrote his iconic ballad “Hallelujah.” What the king’s advisors knew back then, is a scientifically confirmed fact today and it is this: Music has the ability to alter not only the mind but also one’s very physiological state of being, reducing stress, alleviating anxiety and pacifying emotions.
I’m a student, trainee lawyer, former professional athlete and perhaps more importantly, just like everyone reading this, a HUMAN BEING. I know what it’s like to feel those thick knots of anxiety in the pit of your stomach before an important match, exam or presentation. Stress is a part of the game for all of us and those who deal with it best, find more fulfilment, live longer (statistically speaking) and are actually more effective. Music has been a critical factor in…
