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While politics divides us, music is something that can bring us together. The music of the Brilliance, a musical duo made up of David Gungor and John Arndt, does just that. Their songs invite us to see the humanity in all people while wrestling with some of the most acute challenges facing our world: war, violence, immigration, political polarization, hunger, and anxiety. In this conversation, I speak with David Gungor about the transformative power of music and about the spiritual practices he is bringing to this election.
In this episode, David and I discuss:
- How music transcends language to bring people together
- How music offers hope by inviting us into other people’s stories and experiences
- How music accompanies us in our healing process by transforming individual grief into collective grief
- Why starting with questions is important in politics and in art
- The role of music and storytelling in undermining stereotypes and inviting people to look at their own assumptions
- Entering this election with integrity, vulnerability, creativity, and a willingness to see the good in the other side.
- The back stories of some of their songs including “Oh Dreamer” and “Lake Coatepeque”
Bring this wisdom with you as you engage:
- Listen to the Brilliance on your preferred platform (Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube) or on their website at www.thebrilliancemusic.com.
- Check out This Election’s Spotify Page which includes
- A Doing Politics Different playlist inspired by today’s conversation. It has songs from today’s episode and other songs selected to help you move into this election season with integrity, vulnerability, creativity, and hope.
- A Mutual Flourish Playlist created by David.
- Gen z Political Revolution Playlist which I found will creating the above.
- Vote Playlist created by The Class a few years back (tune into Episode 3 to hear more about The Class).
- I am also creating a playlist of songs from our listeners. If there is a song that has inspired you, made you think, or invited you deeper into community, I would love to include it. You can send those to my email at [email protected] or message me on instagram @katie.m.cochran.
Download the transcript here.
You can find David at www.davidgungor.com, on X and Instagram @davidgungor.
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All of our conversations are offered alongside a spiritual practice that can help you move through this election season in a more intentional, healthy way. Those practices, including the playlist from this episode, can be found at www.thiselection.org/spiritualpractrices.
If you found this conversation helpful and want to learn more:
- Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music.
- Subscribe to our email list. We share a weekly newsletter that provides additional inspiration, practice tips, and resources to heal and ground you this election cycle.
To connect with me
- Leave a comment below.
- Follow me on Instagram @katie.m.cochran
- Email me at [email protected]