Reading the news these days can be very depressing.  It seems that every corner of the globe is being battered by economic problems, environmental problems, social problems…  And even all the experts and leaders, who used to talk with such conviction, all throw up their hands and say they don’t know what to do!  But as a Baha’i I believe this is part of the process of the birth of a new kind of world, one global in scope and fundamentally spiritual in nature.  These tests and this suffering is necessary so that we begin to think less about ourselves and more about others, and less about the material and more about the spiritual.  Baha’u'llah says that the “world is in travail”, but also tells us that out of the process a new world will be born.  The process won’t be easy, but I believe this is the time that we must begin to look at the world with new eyes, with the eyes of faith, and work for this goal.  It is also a time when we can look within ourselves to see how we can create positive change.  For my part I wanted to share a gift of a song, Should Prosperity Befall Thee, which seems particularly appropriate for this time (the guitar is performed by Jason Cohen and produced by Jarome Matthew).  The words come from the Hidden Words of Baha’u'llah and say “Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more.”

Click here for your free download.

Please feel free to share the link with your friends.  I hope you enjoy it.

My next project that I have been waiting to share with you (and have worked on in tandem with the love and marriage project) is a Chinese CD!  Many of my friends have often asked me when I would do one as there is such a need for inspirational Chinese material.  I am excited that it is beginning to come together and Jarome will be coming to assist with the recording and production of the CD in November!

We will be using several of the ‘Fire and Gold‘ songs and translating them into Chinese.  So far, it has worked out quite smoothly and we’re still in the process of making final adjustments to make sure the words flow well with the music. We will also have a couple of Chinese instrumental pieces which will be accompanied by some recited quotations.  And then there will be a few other pieces - some that you may recognize and others that are new.  We have some incredibly talented musicians participating on this project and I’m thrilled to mention that Phil Morrison and Keith Williams will be contributing their talent to the CD as well.  I will share more about the performers in another blog.

I made the decision not to sing the primary vocals on this CD as I felt that the singer should be a Chinese vocalist so as not to distract the audience with any accent whatsoever.  However, I will try and get away with some background vocals in Chinese as I would love to participate. Looking forward to sharing more with you as the project progresses.

Recently I came across the music of an independent artist – India.Arie.  My niece, who was visiting from the US, introduced me to her music.  What fascinates me about her are the themes she chooses to explore and her bold lyrics.  India.Arie writes a lot about growth, positive change, respecting yourself and others. In Wings of Forgiveness, she writes,
I’m only human,
let’s shake free this gravity of resentment
And fly high.
You’re only human,
let’s shake free this gravity of judgement
And fly high on the winds of forgiveness.

These lyrics are so powerful and meaningful.  Here are some titles of her songs, There’s Hope, I see God in you, Growth, This Too Shall Pass and Wings of Forgiveness.  She also writes about racism and prejudice in her songs, Brown Skin and I Am Not my Hair.

One of my favorite songs of hers is Slow Down.  In her chorus she writes,
Slow down baby, you’re going too fast
You’ve got your hands in the air, but your feet on the gas
You’re about to wreck your future
Running from the past
You need to slow down

In today’s music world, lyrics are most often about love, passion or sex.  One seldom finds songs with lyrics that are empowering and inspiring.  Even India.Arie’s love songs are unique in that they are enriching and meaningful.  In Complicated Melody, her first verse starts:

If he were a color, he’d be deep dark forest green
If here were a car, he’d be a long stretched limousine
With room for all of humanity inside
Cos he is so giving and he is so wise

In one of her shortest songs, Outro: Learning, India.Arie reveals what the highest expression of love is:

The highest expression of love is to give without expecting
The highest expression of love is to accept without exception
I have so much to learn

These few sentences are the complete lyrics of her song.  I can’t help but smile and get goosebumps when I hear her songs.  I love her courage to be different and to break away from the normal trends in music lyrics.  I am inspired.