Harmony may seem like a distant principle, but what is the key to creating such harmony?

While reading the book Eternal Virtues, I came across an incident from the life of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, whose birth centenary celebrations were celebrated in 2022–23.
On 6 May 2004, Dr David Boddy, a teacher in Sanskrit and the headmaster at St. James Independent School for Senior Boys in London, met Pramukh Swami Maharaj at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden.

He asked Pramukh Swami Maharaj an interesting question, “What is the answer to developing world peace? How can we teach the people of this world to live in harmony?”
Pramukh Swami Maharaj replied, “Learning to compromise is the key to world peace.”

Compromising at the right moments is the key to harmony.

When playing the trombone alone, I would have to compromise on one of the three factors in order for a beautiful sound to be produced. If the slide position is even slightly off, the note produced will sound incorrect.

When playing the trombone with the entire ensemble, I would have to compromise my volume in certain parts of the piece in order to bring out other instruments. In other instances, others may have to compromise their volume to bring the sound of the trombone out even more.

The awareness of what, where and how to compromise in the music piece allows a musician to assist the entire group in bringing out the best aspects of the piece. Through this constant compromise, the entire ensemble would sound in unison and would create a beautiful musical harmony.

The same can be seen for keeping harmony with others.

Just as a musician needs to constantly adjust and compromise in order for the entire ensemble to be heard, I also have learned the importance of adjusting to others.

There have been many projects which I have worked on when I would find no area to compromise. Whether it be my final project at university or planning a summer camp, I would think it would just be a burden to keep harmony with others as it would affect the final result of the project. In those moments, I think back to what I learned with my trombone. Just like in an orchestra, compromise comes in the form of:

What? — What is the factor that is hindering harmony in this situation? What can be resolved in the moment?

Where? — Where can I compromise in this situation to move forward?

How? — How can I compromise and keep harmony while adhering to my values?

Doing this exercise allowed me to take a step back from the situation and look at the entire project as a whole. Is it worth arguing over a small detail rather than just letting it go? Could I lose a little bit of quality in order for others to develop a new skill? Taking a step back and compromising allowed me to keep harmony with myself and with others.

Mahant Swami Maharaj explains the value of harmony in our daily life, “Throughout history, maintaining harmony has been the key to success. The slightest discord always leads to destruction.”

Harmony allows for individuals to come together to achieve a common goal by putting one’s self motive aside for the common good.

This is also why in the contemporary Hindu scripture, Satsang Diksha, Mahant Swami Maharaj writes in verse 306, “May feelings of unity, fraternity, friendship, compassion, tolerance and love flourish mutually amongst all people.”

Harmony is not something that can be achieved in one day but is practised over time. Just like an instrument.

Sometimes you have to adjust the instrument (that is, yourself) in order to make the entire ensemble sound beautiful.