musical democrat, religious pluralism, non-polarization

"So one night the conductor of the high school orchestra took us both to Red Rocks to listen to some group of pros--I didn't know who they were--I didn't care.  Dad says I'm a democrat, as long as the music is played well, I'll listen to anything."

This is little quotation is from  two paragraphs included in a (Easter) holiday letter I received recently. (Allen Heggen is the author.)  The longer second paragraph describes the music and its effect on the speaker: "pure joy."


And this evoked Diana Eck's four characteristics of  religious pluralism which are:

1. energetic engagement with diversity
2. active seeking of understanding across lines of difference
3. encounter of commitments 
4. based on dialogue

This young musician, an aspiring jazz drummer was deeply engaged by the classical professional musicians.  A 'musical democrat', he was willing to be drawn in across the differences of musical genre and to encounter the music to which these players were committed.  And, perhaps, his rapturous listening was a sort of dialogue.  The last sentence.  "...then the chimes ring out three notes, and the strings sing again, pure joy, and the trumpets and horns and trombones and tuba punctuate the ecstasy and I know what I have to do, I know what I need to do with my life, oh, I known who I , who I want to be." 

So, lastly, the hope that Robert Putnam is right in American Grace.  Personal encounters across lines of difference are a counter to divisiveness and polarization.  Being a democrat about music, being willing to listen to anything played well, can be a model for being a democrat is social life.