Jane Thrall

Harmony is a well-known musical term meaning the confluence of two or more individual notes , chords , or sounds to create a pleasurable outcome .

I ’ m definitely not a musically inclined person ; I grew up in a home with little exposure and never found myself interested in learning to play an instrument , sing , or even listen to music . So , harmony as it relates to melody wasn ’ t my first thought when asked to write about the subject .

For me , the word elicits thoughts of personal harmony or being in harmony with oneself and one ’ s surroundings . I think of this as harmonal balance ; being in tune not musically but spiritually . If you believe that we are all interconnected , that what we do matters in the world , then this balance is the essence of being part of society .

The concept isn ’ t new — it ’ s likely that harmony with others has been an important part of our evolution for millenniums . Our ancestors lived together in like-minded groups , hunted together , and shared their surroundings with the wildlife and plants so important to survival . This societal and environmental kinship would have been key to their continuity . Their historical relationship with nature was one of harmony with the rhythms of the land , animals , and plants .

As distinct monocultures formed around the globe , so did their unique concepts of balance .

In ancient Greek mythology , Harmonia is the goddess of ( you guessed it ) harmony , particularly interpersonal relationships . She was given a necklace crafted by Hephaestus , blacksmith of the gods , on her marriage to Cadmus . The necklace allowed the wearer to remain forever youthful and beautiful ; however , it brought misfortune to all who wore it .

Eris , the goddess of strife and discord , counters Harmonia . Eris took pleasure in war and bloodshed , encouraging conflict between people . She most famously tossed a golden apple enshrined with the words “ To the most beautiful ” into a feast of the gods , thus instigating the Trojan war .

In Roman mythology , Concordia is the goddess of agreement , sometimes depicted as holding an olive branch . She personifies balance and harmony in marriage and appears on several ancient Roman coins .

Chinese culture features the complementary forces of yin — the female energy — with yang — the male energy . Yin is dark , cold , and of the earth ; while yang is light , warm , and from the heavens . They are believed to exist in harmony in the centre of the earth , but when out of balance the planet can experience natural disasters such as earthquakes , drought , and flooding .

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