Singularly in Unison: When do we become I-We?

I have always been fascinated by the balance and harmony between individual and group performance.  We see examples in music, sports, organizations, religion, politics, and so many other arenas - where individuals develop and offer their Best Self to help create or address a unified vision, achievement, or solution.

I recall in high school, four students formed a Barbershop Quartet, performing at student rallies and events that showcased the school.  The individual voices, strong in and of themselves, blended together to create a sound which represented each person's Oneness and the group's Wholeness simultaneously.  There may have been one person leading the group, but what was observed was each person leading and adding to the outcome at different times.

Why have One Lead when there can be Many?
(Photo Credit:  8tracks.com - Too Many People Singing)

Even though I love to sing, I never learned to read music -- or to associate the written notes with my personal vocal range.  As I sing at church or other events, I find it interesting to listen with intent: 

• Do I hear my voice?
• Can I change focus to hear the person next to me?
• What happens when I listen to the whole room?

It seems that as I shift outward -- from self to other to Other -- a new awareness occurs: 

• I can hear and honor each one of these individual voices, AND
• I belong to something larger than myself.

Is it possible that each reality is true... and possibly, true at the same time?  It seems that the emergence of our Best Self and the Oneness with Other moves us beyond noise and distraction to purpose and meaning.

 When are We too Many?
(Photo Credit:  Express - Residents Complain - Noisy Church Choir)

I wonder if we can apply these thoughts to the events of this past week:  events in our personal lives and what we have witnessed in the public arena?  Whether we were sickened, horrified, and threatened... or accepted and approved... any of this recent history, all responses have occurred.  Can we accept that each is valid?  Can we come together and work toward goals that honor our Better Selves and the Whole?

For me, I am reminded of the first time I attended a symphony performance.  I was hypnotized by the four sections of the orchestra (string, woodwind, brass and percussion).  Watching the bows in the string section move in unison; experiencing the clarity of the woodwind instruments; hearing the strength and depth of the brass; and feeling the rhythm of percussion... all of these, individually and as a whole, added wonder and excitement.  The orchestra could not exist without the individuals nor the whole.

How do we honor Each One and All?
(Photo Credit:  New York Orchestra and Choral Music)

Maybe one solution to our current dilemma is to find language and experiences that bind us.  Moving away from focusing primarily on "I" (individual) or "We" (whole), I wonder what it would look like if we replaced I and We with "I-We" - both the strength and the beauty of the individual voices, honored and harmonized with the people and world around us.

Questions to consider:

• What would it mean if each person held a portion of the truth?
• How would I listen differently?

Maybe it is time to listen for the simplicity and clarity of each voice and become the instruments to understand and accept the complexity and blending of all truths!

May this week provide you moments of self-clarity and other-harmony!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)