The Art of Possibility 8 of 15: Mahler’s 9th
January 29, 2010 by dr. lam · 4 Comments
One of Zander’s violinists, Anne Hooper, brought back on her vacation a tape of Mahler’s 9th symphony to be played for her enjoyment on a boom box. Her little 5-year-old niece, Katrine, asked her aunt what the music was about. Anne spun an elaborate tale as the music played about a princess who was captured by a fearsome dragon and who was eventually saved by a handsome prince. With that invention, Katrine imagined this storyline and asked to listen to the music again and again, enraptured by the musical passion of it all.
The niece then asked her aunt, “Auntie Anne, is that really what the composer intended when he wrote this piece of lovely music?” Anne truthfully replied, “No, actually Mahler grew up in a household where sickness ruled and his seven siblings all died from illness during their childhood. His father was an angry drunk who terrorized the house, including his invalid mother. Mahler’s four-year-old daughter also died, and he never quite got over it. He lost his beloved job at the Vienna Opera House because he was Jewish. Shortly before writing his piece, he was diagnosed with a heart condition, for which he was told he had only a short time to live. This symphony was an expression of how Mahler imagined himself dying and that is why it ends in a whisper. Mahler was also a happy man in his life who laughed loud and loved long swims! Let’s not forget that.” Katrine went on to listen to Mahler’s 9th over 100 hundred times that summer.
Later that fall, Katrine and her family made the four-hour drive from upstate New York to Boston to hear Mahler’s 9th at Jordan Hall and was mesmerized throughout the performance. Katrine scrawled a thank you to Zander on a small notecard: “Ben Zander, Love Katrine. Thank you for Mahler Ninth. I loved it.” This note, Zander carries with him wherever he goes, as a reminder to how often we don’t give children an A, who deserve it. We too often give failing grades to everyone around us because that is what we are accustomed to do.
The Art of Possibility 7 of 15: Lessons in Leadership
January 28, 2010 by dr. lam · 2 Comments
Zander was going to conduct a world-class violinist in Israel that night at a sold-out concert. That morning, he exhorted his students for whom he saved 30 seats to attend this performance. That night, on the podium, he saw that up in the balcony all 30 seats had remained vacant. He was blisteringly angry and bitter.
The next morning, he called his wife and declared how angry he was. His wife’s first response was “You better apologize.” Zander replied, “Better apologize? For what? Did you not understand that these 30 kids stood me up? For a concert that has been sold out for months now!” His wife explained, “You did not inspire them enough to come to a concert to hear a world-class violinist that they will probably never again get a chance to hear that could literally have changed their DNA.” Zander humbly acknowledged his failings as a leader.
How often do we fail to inspire others to greatness? How often do we expect someone to see our vision when we never captivate their imagination?
The Art of Possibility 6 of 15: Last Words
January 27, 2010 by dr. lam · 4 Comments
Zander recounts the story of a fifteen-year-old girl who accompanied her 8-year-old brother on the train ride to Auschwitz. On the way, the boy accidentally dropped one of his shoes through onto the train tracks never to see it again. The sister reflexively screams at her younger sibling, “This is so like you to lose a shoe. You are so irresponsible. We will never get that shoe back!” Those were the last words that she uttered to her brother, as her brother never survived the concentration camp and she never saw him again after they arrived. When she left the concentration camp, she made a vow never to say words that could not stand as your last to someone. That is a beautiful goal to aspire to for all of us.
The Art of Possibility 5 of 15: Starfish
January 26, 2010 by dr. lam · 3 Comments
A man spies a woman throwing starfish back into the vast ocean. The mans asks, “What are you doing? There are tons of starfish in the ocean. There is no need to save all of those that you are throwing back into the water. What does it matter?”
The woman calmly picks up the next starfish and whispers as she throws the next one back, “It matters to this one.”
Every situation can be a reflection of our negativity, pettiness, and narrow worldview; or it can reflect a broader beauty. Where are you today?
Mindfulness Mondays 35: Changing One Life At a Time
January 25, 2010 by dr. lam · 3 Comments
Wayne Dyer recounts that Mother Theresa entered a radio station to be interviewed and the interviewer asked her, “I would love to help. I can raise $80,000 in an hour for you.” She said that she did not need the money. He later persisted, “But I can do that for you.” She said no. He then asked what could he do for her. She said, “You can find a homeless man in the street and convince him that he is not alone.”
We too often look at huge charity efforts that we want to engage in, which is a noble thing to do. However, sometimes we don’t see the life that we can touch that is within 3 feet of us. This week open your heart to see what is in front of you, a life that you can change, a heart that you can touch, a peace that you can share, a love that you can bring.