An Update
The temperatures have finally started to cool in Florida and, as a few of you have noticed, so has the frequency and timeliness of my writing. I recently picked up a weekend job, caddying at Old Memorial Golf Club here in Tampa, and have been figuring out how to keep up my writing and reading habits along with it. Thanks to those who reached out and to those who keep me honest. I’m buckling down for the month ahead to (ambitiously) still achieve my goal of finishing my manuscript’s first draft by 12/1. I hope you have plans to make the most of the remainder of your 2020, whether that includes meeting old goals or setting new ones.
Cheers,
A Feature
Years ago I sat in St. Andrews Chapel at Woodberry Forest School and listened to one of my teachers deliver a sermon. Something about the message stuck with me, so I reached out to see if he still had it on-hand. The version provided below is shortened, and was adapted to fit into a newspaper column the author wrote for.
Shh! You can’t hear it, can you? I didn’t think so. That’s okay. Most people today can’t because they don’t believe in it.
In ancient times, people believed in something called “the music of the spheres.” They placed the earth at the center of the universe, not the sun. They thought that the sun, moon and each planet was fixed permanently in its own crystalline sphere. Now here’s the cool part: The planets themselves supposedly remained stationary, while each of the nine spheres containing them moved in unison, propelled by a “Prime Mover.” In doing so, they rubbed against each other, creating a sort of heavenly music that made its way throughout the entire universe.
It’s a completely bogus theory, of course. Totally unscientific. Which doesn’t bother me in the least.
It makes perfect sense to me that we are surrounded by a kind of un-hearable music, composed and conducted by God Himself—music so perfectly harmonious that it sets in high relief our own terribly un-harmonious lives.
So the obvious question arises: if there’s music all around us, why can’t we hear it?
Shakespeare says it’s because we’re human, and that humans can’t hear heavenly things. In The Merchant of Venice he says we’re trapped in “this muddy vesture of decay,” caught in our own earthiness and unable to hear the divine music that surrounds us.
He’s right, of course. But I also think we can’t hear because we don’t listen. We get overwhelmed by the noise and confusion of life, by the rattle and hullabaloo of daily living. If we’d just slow down, open our ears and keep quiet, we might actually catch a snippet of the heavenly song.
I hear it on occasion. In every really good laugh, for instance. Or in poetry read aloud. Or in the blur as a hummingbird zips past my eye. Or in the thunk of a perfectly executed golf shot.
Occasionally in the up-and-down, back-and-forth of mowing grass, I catch just a note or two of the music of the spheres. When I’m fishing, I certainly hear it. Or digging in the flowerbed. Or looking at a Mark Rothko painting. Or any of a thousand other small wonders.
I never hear it, however, if I’m angry or hurried or in a panic. The music of the spheres is the ordered, measured, harmonic movement of life, and it’s impossible to hear when the mind’s in a tizzy.
I realize this is all a bit weird and esoteric. So let me break it down for you as plainly as I can: There are times when we just need to slow down, shut up and listen to the beauty around us.
John B. Amos teaches English at Woodberry. If you’re interested in more of his writing, he has a collection of essays, Every Now and Then: Occasional Essays, available here. You can also check out this video to get a glimpse of where, I think, Mr. Amos often has a good chance to hear the music.
Extras
What I’m Watching
Tenet - I just recently caught this movie in theaters to make sure I didn’t miss it. Christopher Nolan was adamant about the theatrical release, so I enjoyed an IMAX viewing with 5 other viewers in an empty theater. The overwhelming reaction I had was confusion. I’m looking forward to giving it another go sometime in the future to sort things out.
Tourist Sauce Season Six: Oregon by No Laying Up - The quality of this crews’ content continues to improve, and is on full display in the most recent iteration of their golf travel series, Tourist Sauce. This edition covers a trip to the Oregon coast. You can watch the trailer here, and episodes 1-4 are also available.
What I’m Reading
The Golfer’s Journal: No. 13 - A recent addition to my list of subscriptions, this one has been more than worth it. A quarterly magazine that features stories, commentary, and exquisite photography is right up the alley for any “golf purist.”
Thank you for reading, I sincerely appreciate it. I would love to hear from you, whether it be your thoughts on anything above, or any recommendations on food, wine, movies, books, etc. that could find their way into a future issue. Or simply drop a note to say hello! Reach me at writejohnduffy@protonmail.com - I look forward to hearing from you.
If you enjoyed this letter, and think someone else you know might enjoy it, too…