Cats are the second most common pet in the world, after goldfish. When I helped Mama Cat raise four kittens, even the darkest of moods erupted into laughter as the curious fluffballs boldly explored, tasted new food and ambushed each other. A warm purring cat is comfort personified on a rainy day or sleepy night, much like favorite music.
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer.
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Albert Schweitzer was a polymath from Alsace, a region now in France. At the time of his birth in 1875, it was part of the German Empire. When he died in 1965 it was in France. Schweitzer had both German and French citizenship.
His major fields included medicine, musicology, philosophy and theology. He had two cats, Sizi and Piccolo. They liked to sleep on his desk. Anyone needing papers had to wait until the cats awoke.
Schweitzer won many awards including the Goethe Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize. The fundament of his personal philosophy was the idea of Reverence for Life ("Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben"). He thought Western civilization was in decay because it abandoned the affirmation of life as its ethical foundation.
Like cats, music has a special magic, a deep connection to the soul. Music and rhythm existed in nature before humans were even a glint in the eye of the universe. Songs of the wind and trees, melodies of birds and the hum of bees, rumble of the earth and the beat of a heart, the motion of walking, catching the vibe.
Music is an expressive, entertainment and spiritual medium in every culture. Singing and playing music has plenty of health benefits too, such as better breathing and relaxation.
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For instance a singer will sound strained if the neck, face or shoulder muscles are tight. We often ignore tension in this area but singing makes us pay attention. The vibrations of music can also soothe mind and body, or drive vocal and physical expression. Music purges bad feelings and heightens pleasure and awareness of being in the moment.