fill the silence with your music {april 4, 2022}

I'm not one to watch award shows but last night I watched the Grammys for one reason. Wolfgang Van Halen. He was nominated for a Grammy for his song, "Distance," which he wrote about his late father, Eddie Van Halen. I loved listening to Van Halen throughout their career and now, here was Eddie's son being recognized for his musical accomplishments.

As the show went on and my attention waned, John Legend and a number of Ukrainian artists took to the stage and paid tribute to the lives lost in Ukraine, calling upon the world to continue sending support to those who are still living through the war. Ukrainian President Zelensky introduced the performance with a very stirring speech:

"The war. What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people. Our children draw swooping rockets, not shooting stars. Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died. And we’ll never see them drawing. Our parents are happy to wake up in the morning in bomb shelters. But alive. Our loved ones don’t know if we will be together again. The war doesn’t let us choose who survives and who stays in eternal silence. Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway. We defend our freedom to live, to love, to sound on our land. We are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story. Tell the truth about the war on your social networks, on TV. Support us in any way you can. Any — but not silence. And then peace will come. To all our cities the war is destroying — Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha, Mariupol and others — they are legends already. But I have a dream of them living and free. Free like you on the Grammy stage."

Zelensky's voice sounded tired but at the same time filled with determination and hope. I hope his words will stir some action for nations to step in and help his battered but not defeated country.