Harmony

What is Harmony?

Harmony can be defined as an agreement in action, opinion, feeling, or accord. Also, an order or congruity of parts to their whole or to one another.

Related words for harmony include tranquility, peace, understanding, consensus, unity, cooperation, consistency, goodwill, rapport, friendship, kinship, integration, togetherness, and arrangement.

Thoughts

From The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology, author Sylvia Xiaohua Chen states that the concept of harmony can be traced back to Confucianism and Dao/Taoism in East Asia. Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, in his famous work, Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way and Its Virtue), advocated living in harmony with nature to achieve balance and inner peace of mind.

Harmony may be categorized as a human value, corresponding to compatibility with feelings, actions, relationships, or interests – symbolizing a state of balance.

There is harmony in music, harmony in nature, and harmony in life. Harmony in music can be defined as a combination of musical notes, a pleasing arrangement of parts. Harmony in nature might have different meanings for different people. Eating organic foods, avoiding pesticides, recycling, not polluting the environment, and acting with fairness to nature and other living beings might be examples of harmony in nature. Harmony in life may suggest peacefully living together with others. A common thread with all of these examples is peaceful coexistence.

I encourage you to take some time to ponder and contemplate the word of the day, and where you see harmony in your life.

In most of my Words to Contemplate posts, I close with quotes that may help you find the spark or mindset to ruminate. Today, again, I am inspired to add some poetry; this is a snippet of a song written by Nick Lowe and made famous by Elvis Costello.

Poetry

Peace Love and Understanding
Nick Lowe

As I walk on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so down-hearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted
And where is the harmony, sweet harmony
‘Cause each time I feel it slipping away
Just makes me wanna cry
What’s so funny ’bout peace love and understanding…

Peace, Love & Understanding – of Harmony

Quotes

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
~Mahatma Gandhi

“No person, no place, and no thing has any power over us, for ‘we’ are the only thinkers in our mind. When we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives.”
~Louise L. Hay

“But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?”
~Albert Camus

“The more in harmony with yourself you are, the more joyful you are and the more faithful you are. Faith is not to disconnect you from reality – it connects you to reality.”
~Paulo Coelho

“He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.”
~Marcus Aurelius