Inspiration

By Matthew Lyon

Recently I have been listening to the music of Joseph Haydn, who is the most prolific major composer of all time, having written over 340 hours of music.

He composed 104 symphonies, numerous choral works and hundreds of instrumental pieces in many combinations. He is regarded as the father of the symphony as we know it, and of the string quartet.

His great creativity came from natural talent, of course, and a deep love and passion for music. He was also known as a very generous man who championed other musicians. He was a teacher and mentor to both Mozart and Beethoven, two others in the pantheon of stellar musical beings. He influenced countless others and helped to define the culture of his time.

To me, along with the beauty of his creations, his generous spirit radiates from his music.

In this listening, I have been contemplating the synchronicity between generosity and inspiration.

If the work that we do is infused with such a generous spirit, it can be inspirational to others. Whether we work as an artist, a computer tech, a farmer, a teacher, a mechanic, or any other of the countless modern occupations, we bring a certain attitude to the work, which can uplift others.

There is generosity in contemplating the effect that our daily lives have upon other people in our personal realm. In doing this, we can see potential to inspire simply by our personal example.

We often think of generosity in terms of specific acts of giving. On a deeper level, it is generous to think about the quality of our being and our way of life as potentially helpful. The simple integrity of our actions, our work ethic, our skills, and our way of speaking can be understood as contributions to the health of our world.

We don’t have to write great works of music to inspire others – we can do it by making a cup of tea beautifully.