The reasons why are legion. We are insecure about our voices. We don’t know the words. We resent being forced into an activity together. We feel uncool. And since we’re out of practice as a society, the person who dares to begin a song risks having no one join her.
This is a loss. It’s as if we’ve willingly cut off one of our senses: the pleasure center for full lungs and body resonance and shared emotion and connection to our fellow man. When the crowd at Fenway Park sings Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” (in an inexplicable Red Sox tradition), there’s really nothing comparable to that feeling of 30,000 people stepping down three notes in giddy unison, “Oh–Ohh–Ohhhh.”
via How Communal Singing Disappeared From American Life – Karen Loew – The Atlantic.
I mean, not for me of course, but…
Some people, some, know my enjoyment when it comes to sacred harp singing. It is communal – it is lovely – it is powerful. When are those of us in the West going to realize we all need somebody to lean on… (or sing with, as the case may be)
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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