A synergistic approach to the solving of any problem - or to the accomplishment of any goal - brings all the elements together, with all the particulars involved. We participate to discuss, imagine, create, and move forward in a way that is an expression of truly giving ourselves freely and completely, acting with purpose, and with a commitment to a desired result. What I like about the I Ching definition of synergy is that any two or more elements can approach each other in such a way that miracles can happen. Any two elements can be you and me, you and your family, you and your job. These elements can also be within you - between you and your own sense of purpose in the world, or you and your commitment to a better life for all people and all living things.

What comes to my mind in thinking about synergy has to do with some experiences that I have had many times over the years through my music. There are nights when I feel it is magic - like every nuance, every subtlety of music and lyric and heart and spirit is felt by everyone in the coliseum. Whether that is true or not, who knows? It is just the way I have felt.

On the other hand, there have been nights - and this is more to my point- when I really didn't feel like I did a very good job. I wasn't singing well, or maybe my mind was somewhere else, and it just didn't seem like I was there. I used to beat myself up pretty badly about that. Quite often, however, I have heard from people who said that on that particular night their lives were changed. Something happened that was magic for them - and it didn't matter how I felt.

I remember one particular evening I had given a concert in the southeastern United States. It was really a tough night for me. Tough though it was for me, my perspective changed when I learned what that concert meant to some people who had come to hear me sing. One family's story moved me to tears. They had gone through separation, divorce, and several difficult years. The family had been big fans of mine, the children were raised on my music, and - after all these difficult times they had faced in their lives - they had gathered together for the first time in years at my concert. They had to deal with a lot of hassles even to make it to the concert, but - by being there together - they felt like a family again for the first time in years.

Another time, I heard from a man in the midwestern United States. His wife had had a nervous breakdown. She had been in the hospital for about ten months in a very depressed condition when her doctors felt it would be safe for her to go home to be with her family on weekends. A big part of her problem was that she was not able to face what ever was at the source of this depression. It was locked up inside. On one of these weekends, some friends invited the family over for dinner. During the course of the evening, they played one of my albums. As they sat listening to the album, suddenly the woman began to cry. In that evening and shortly thereafter, she was somehow able to release all of the fear, frustration, and depression that had been locked inside her. Her husband considered this an absolute miracle, and felt that my music was a catalyst for this release.

The point of these two stories is that when I first started singing and writing songs, I realized then that I wanted to do more than just entertain people. I wanted to somehow touch them, to be a reflection of their lives. My commitment to this shows whether I think I am doing the job or not - as long as I go about my business with as much integrity and heart and spirit as possible. Because of my synergistic relationship with my own vision, something from deep down inside me comes through and works.