How can we develop the depth of our mind and soul?

Dear friend,

What is our depth?

Our depth is our capacity to understand.

Our depth is what allows us to comprehend

and appreciate people and their creations.

Without depth,

most of the great ideas

books

poems

paintings

music

discoveries

and more

will be lost on us.

We won’t be able to comprehend them!

We won’t fathom their profound meaning

and their direct relevance to our lives.


So we won’t appreciate them,

absorb them,

and be enriched by them.

Without depth

we also won’t be able to see,

experience,

and be blessed

by all the glorious beautiful creations

of God and Nature.

Surrounded by all the riches of Nature

and civilization

we will remain poor and impoverished.

The good news

The beauty of living in a free society

is we can develop the depth

of our mind and soul

at any age.

Entirely on our own

and entirely for free.

All we need is an independent mind

and an eagerness to grow.

But where shall we go

to develop our depth?

Who has depth?

A different drummer

When I was a kid

we were the only family in our neighborhood

without a TV.

The walls of our home

were lined with great books

for which I will be forever grateful.

My parents were writers and poets

and my two brothers and I are, too.

In junior high

I carried with me in my purse

a dog-eared book:

The Golden Book of English and American Verse.

I lived and breathed

the poems in that book.

They burn in me to this day.

As Thoreau wrote:

If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.

Let him step to the music which he hears,
however measured or far away.

Those poems were my music.

So what about you?

Maybe you don’t LIKE poetry!

Maybe you are thinking:

Dr. Hall, I see where you’re going…

but I ain’t going there!

And I say: Good for you!

But it’s too late.

You already went.

Your MUSIC is your poetry

Every time you are moved by the lyrics

of one of your favorite songs

you are in the hands of a poet.

Songs are poetry

and poems are songs.

Critics can nitpick the differences

but their essence is the same.

William Blake,

one of the greatest poets who ever lived,

called a book of his poems

Songs of Innocence and Experience.

Why do you think they gave Bob Dylan

the Nobel Prize for Literature?

Because his songs are great poetry.

And how did he become such a poet?

By absorbing the best of both kinds of poetry:

literary and musical.

Both kinds of poetry await YOU

There are poets and poet/songwriters out there

who are just made for you.

Your very own teachers and mentors

are waiting for you to discover them!

Go ahead and search the whole world

all countries

all cultures

all continents

Find the deepest most original minds and souls

that you can.

Find the ones who speak powerfully and directly

to your own life.

Explore the poets in music

Begin with the kind of music

that is familiar to you–

country, rock, pop, hip hop, blues, whatever…

Then open your mind and soul

to music that is NEW to you.

When a song reaches you

pull up the lyrics and read them!

Read them slowly and with care.

There. There is the poetry.

The music and voice of the song

bring the lyrical poetry to life!

If you feel inspired,

go ahead and write

some song lyrics of your own.

Even writing just one song

will deepen you.

Explore the poets in literature

A basic anthology

of your favorite country’s poetry

is all you need to get started.

Buy the book

so it’s yours to underline.

Then take it in your hands

and do a little gold mining…

Find one poet who speaks to you.

Some who speak to me are

Dylan Thomas, W. H. Auden, William Blake, Walt Whitman,

John Donne, Federico Garcia Lorca, Stephen Spender…

Find your treasure

Explore great minds and souls

in many different areas:

writers, poets/songwriters, artists, musicians,

preachers, leaders, historians, scientists…

Every fascinating brilliant person

you connect with

comprehend

and absorb

is YOUR lifelong treasure!

Every one of them

will develop your mind and soul

to a deeper level.

That is why they wrote what they wrote

with such love and care.

That is why they created what they created

with such beauty.

Some of them hundreds of years ago!

So they could live on

and have their immortality in you.

Blessings,

Dr. Hall

Question:

What song has lyrics that speak to you?