I stole my title for this article from none other than Hans Christian Anderson the famous author, best known for his fairy tales. Although his stories in the original form don’t really reflect the Disney versions we all know and love, he certainly had some words of wisdom.
The recent tragedies in Manchester and London, no matter how horrific have inspired us as a nation to pull together. Seeing artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and our very own home grown artists such as, Coldplay and Liam Gallagher bringing the public together against terrorism, to me was “awesome”. If there is ever a way to promote feelings of peace and unity, music does this brilliantly.
One of my favourite musicians of all time John Lennon and his wife famously went to bed for two weeks in 1969 as a protest against the Vietnam war. Much of his later work was based on his anti war mindset.
While I can’t promote having a Lennon style “bed in” against terrorism and war (the whole country would collapse economically), I do however urge you to use music to promote love and understanding. Listen, sing, dance, play it loud, dig out your old walkman, buy some vinyl records, and listen to the musicians message. Write a song, a poem, put your views down on paper, for future generations to read and pass on. Keep the peaceful sentiment alive.
As we live in such volatile times, we should remember that music, prose and art, is the best way to escape negativity. Artists have the opportunity to paint a picture, say things others can’t put into words, whether on canvas or in a song. We must embrace this more.
Let’s all “give peace a chance”, it can’t hurt, can it?