There is a lot of hate being expressed in the world today. People are letting their opinions and emotions get the best of them and in turn some pretty bad things happen. This past Saturday saw the occurrence one of the worst anti-Semitic acts in US history, leaving 11 innocent souls dead at the hands of a very hateful individual. With horrifying events like this happening on what seems like a semi-regular basis nowadays, it?s easy to see that people are becoming increasingly angry and divided from their fellow wo/man. However, it is important to remember that we as humans are all in this thing called ?life? together and for anything to work we need to put aside our differences and come together.
There is not much that unites people more than music. In fact, artists and cultures have been harnessing the power of music to bring people together for common causes for hundreds of years. The last century in particular has brought about some of the most poignant songs of unity and togetherness that remain in the cultural lexicon today.
Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island?s music outlet, is taking a look at songs with a message of unity. Here are five that show that we are all better off bridging our gaps and coming together for the common cause of humanity.
1. The Beatles, ?All You Need Is Love?: Released during the ?summer of love,? ?All You Need Is Love? was written with the simple message that love is the most important emotion you can express. Having love for one another is a universal ideal, one that everyone can understand. (video)
2. Sister Sledge, ?We Are Family?: Though not its original intention when released in 1979, ?We Are Family? has taken gone on to become an anthem for unity. Family looks out for family, and as long as you have your family alongside you, you are much more powerful than you are alone. Such unity and togetherness is something to celebrate. (video)
3. Bob Marley, ?One Love?: Originally written in protest to oppression, ?One Love?s? cool island vibes asks of its listeners to come together as one in order to stop such hate. It doesn?t matter who you are or where you come from, as long as we act as one people and have each other?s backs, there is a chance that we can all ?feel all right.? (video)
4. Matisyahu, ?One Day?: In Judaism, there is a prayer for humanity to never know from war ever again. Such is the point of Matisyahu?s 2008 single ?One Day.? The song is meant to inspire hope in people, that they may stay positive in the face of adversity so that one day we will all be able to live without the fear of being persecuted for who we are. Over the last few days this has been somewhat of an anthem for the victims of Saturday?s shooting. (video)
5. John Lennon, ?Imagine?: Released in 1971, ?Imagine? begs people to imagine a world where all that divides us does not exist. It is only when we are able to look past our differences that we can truly be one people. (video)
Artists have been harnessing music?s power to bring people together for many, many years. Songs about peace, love, understanding, accepting others and showing compassion towards those who might not be like you become lasting reminders that we are all people who should be treated equally. At a time when our country and the world are more divided than ever, we can all take a cue from these songs for a little bit of unity in our lives.
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To read about more songs of unity and togetherness, check out the original article at vinylbay777.blogspot.com.
