Life In Tune
It’s graduation season! That means a cornucopia of commencement addresses…
My brother Sameer showed me one that blew me away: Eric Church, a country singer-songwriter, at UNC Chapel Hill. Absolutely fantastic — it’s worth a full watch.
With his guitar, Church alludes to six strings as a metaphor for life's core pillars — faith, family, partnership, ambition & resilience, community, and individuality.
His message: When your strings are tuned? Your life song is full, resonant, and true. When they are not? The life song will drift into noise.
Some wonderful pieces from the speech —
Faith - E String | “The core of your instrument. The people who tend to their faith in ordinary seasons do not come undone in extraordinary ones. Tend to your faith not when you’re broken, but when you’re whole.”
Family - A String | “This is where the music gets warm; this string gives its body & richness. Your family has loved you longer than you’ve been easy to love. Call your people; this is not a ‘holiday’ string, this is an everyday string. Protect it ”
Partnership - D String | “The heart of the chord and center of your instrument; your partner, just like this string, sits between the highs and lows. Choose wisely; they will amplify your sound or make it an out-of-tune mess. Find your best friend; choose them wisely and love them fiercely.”
Ambition & Resilience - G String | “This string drifts easily; it’s your ambition & resilience at odds. Want things; say it out loud; build towards it, and fail a lot. The world breaks everyone; the best get stronger at the broken places. Get back up, tune the string, and keep playing.”
Community - B String | “Plant yourself somewhere; put down roots and learn the actual names, not the usernames, of the people around you. Be embedded locally, even if the Internet will never see it. Generosity is something you do after you make it; it’s how you make it.”
Individuality - E String | “Highest note; carries the melody, but it’s also the most bent by outside pressure. Social media will show you a thousand versions of a life better than yours. Someone will tell you how to live your life; don’t let them tell touch your string. ”
Gorgeously written & spoken. Can you tell I’m a sucker for great words?
As Church says, we have a wonderfully unique and distinct sound; it has never existed before and will never exist again.
The world doesn’t need another cover song; it needs your original. Go make your music. 🎵