Harping Hands

Yes, they are skilled in making music on a 47-stringed instrument. But the “harping” I want to talk about is the argument my hands are making. 

If you have been hovering outside of my practice room lately, you may think the argument my hands are making is the angry-sounding passage in the Hindemith Harp Sonata I’m learning.

Not quite.

You would be right to think that the music made by my hands could be an argument. I believe that music is powerful enough to assume a life independent of the performer. The music is its own argument, and it is an argument of infinite possibilities—too broad for me to appropriately address here.

So what are my hands arguing?

You will notice that my hands are quite small. My petite hands are practically shouting:

“Hey world! Clearly, I can’t cause too much harm to anyone. And if I’m this small, the rest of me probably won’t be very strong, so physical labor is out of the question. Maybe I could be more useful at something that requires a little more finesse?”

The mere size of my hands advertise my non-threatening nature and suggest the kind of activities I might be well-suited towards—the fine arts.

My commitment to the arts, specifically the harp, is argued by my hands as well. As seen in the picture above, I have extremely short fingernails. This is characteristic of a serious harpist. You may also observe the blisters on my fingers. These blisters are the result of diligent practice (although sometimes all it takes is a loud glissando) and will soon toughen up to form calluses. The physical qualities of my hands confirm that I am harpist, but they also suggest a bit more. What kind of harpist? The kind of harpist who applies maximum effort. My hands argue that I am a hard worker, ready to meet any challenge.

Know this before I reach my last argument. The hands of a harpist bring beauty, comfort, and inspiration to the world. I hope we can agree that these are all good things. It is evident that my hands are particularly suited to bringing these good things into the world. If my hands’ skills for music is utilized to bring goodness to others, I think it is the greatest thing they can do for the good of mankind.

Now, the most important argument my hands make:

If my small, beat-up hands are capable of making wonderful things happen, so are the hands of everyone else.

Look down. You have hands, too!

In fact, your hands are probably bigger than mine, stronger. Or maybe they are smaller, capable of the utmost precision. It takes hands of all types to make the world turn. Your hands—and you—have a purpose in this world. You have the power to make a difference.

So now you have to ask yourself: what are your hands arguing?

Are you listening?