Sometimes I go for days without listening to music. Then, when I finally do listen to a complete song, or hear a brief tune I like within a show or movie I’m watching, I realize that I’ve missed it.

I have an Ipod, but I don’t like listening to it on my commute since I have to turn it up so loud to drown out the metro. Plus, I don’t think that’s very good for my poor eardrums. When I do take the time to listen to music, hours go by without my realizing. Especially when I come across projects like Playing For Change.

I came across this video at the Christmas party we held in our apartment—a good chunk of time was spent scrolling through youtube and sharing favourite songs. It’s from Playing For Change, “a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music.”

What a wonderful idea and what better medium to do that than music? With its ability to express every emotion and more, music is often so much better, so much more effective than words. It’s amazing how much a song can make you feel, how clearly it can draw up memories and, from a story I'm working on at the moment (coming in April/May!), how it can help heal.

“The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.”

I don’t think I can say it any better than that, nor can I share the whole idea of it better than sharing two songs put together by Playing For Change. One with musicians from all over Colombia and one with musicians all over the world!