A Mirthful Revelation

Just one off voice in an otherwise tight choir is sufficient to obliterate the harmony and throttle the joy of praise.

I was singing in the choir today, for perhaps the last time, and as usual, I was near one of my tone deaf comrades. The sound of a full choir singing in harmony is one of the most sublime things in all creation -and to be a active part of that rather than a passive listener even moreso. But all it takes is one voice out of place, either a step too high or low, and you sully the entire experience. Unfortunately, there is a guy in the tenor section who has utterly no sense of how off he constantly is. He conjures a favorite quote of my quirky stepfather: "That guy couldn't carry a tune in a wet paper bag with both ends open." And today, finally and for all time, I realized why I have to get out of this place. I need to get rid of the noise in my life. I am hearing the harmony, and I am hearing the melody, but I am also hearing the dissonance. And even though the dissonance is many times outweighed by the superlative elements, a neurotic mind like mine detects dilution in parts per million, so it doesn't take much. The one voice out of tune drowns out those that are righteous and true. And it has been driving me silently insane.