Languages are one of the most powerful and fascinating human constructs. Finite sets of alphabetical symbols and rules have allowed human civilizations to thrive for centuries. While the English language has emerged successfully as the Lingua Franca in recent decades, in my humble opinion, there are two languages that are equally as successful and have allowed us to connect in unimaginable ways. These are Music and Math.
To many, music is their source of life energy, creativity, and stimulation - intellectual and emotional; it is their religion. I have personally experienced the power of music in several ways. Be it when a Japanese train commuter played Hindi songs in Kobe to express his liking for Indian music to me, or the multitude of strangers who have noticed and complimented me on my Muse t-shirt in the past year, or the unusual camaraderie that was displayed at a beach in Barbados because someone noticed a Bob Marley album cover on my music player screen, music has been the quintessential pidgin.
To many including myself, math is the language of the absolute truth. It is via math that one proves a theorem and/or a lemma. Once proven correctly these statements represent the absolute truth - unambiguous, unwavering and irrefutable. Like many academics, I have been fortunate enough to live the surreal experience of communicating ideas in a room full of researchers from different parts of the world. At times, the only common language in the room is math.
Music and Math transcend all boundaries. They have enlightened me, educated me, flummoxed me, and humbled me. Every day, they help me open up to the world in ways that I had never imagined before.
Music and Math transcend all boundaries. They have enlightened me, educated me, flummoxed me, and humbled me. Every day, they help me open up to the world in ways that I had never imagined before.
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