Surgeon Guided to Compose Music

This week's (July 23rd, 2007) of New Yorker magazine contained an amazing article entitled "A Bolt from the Blue: Where do Sudden Intense Passions Come From?" by Oliver Sacks, a neurologist. Sacks wrote of Tony Cicoria, an orthopedic surgeon, who had a deep near-death experience when he was struck by lightening in 1994. Dr. Cicoria, who had no prior interest in music, felt a sudden and intense passion to listen to piano music - in particular, the works of Chopin. Then he felt a desire to learn to play the piano so he could learn these works himself, but he didn't have a piano at home. "I ordered all the sheet music. At this point, one of our babysitters asked if she could store her piano in our house - so now, just when I craved one, a piano arrived." Whenever Cicoria sat down at the piano, he felt guided to compose his own music, "music from Heaven." "[Something] would come and take me over. It had a very powerful presence." Dr. Cicoria continues his practice as a surgeon, but he has also achieved remarkable notoriety as a talented pianist and composer.

While the author suggests that this can all be explained by anomalous occurrences in the brain, I have a much different view...

Message: Sometimes direction comes in the form of "a bolt from the blue." Our passion and our talents are not about us, but are to be used for their highest purpose - in service to others. We will be given everything that is needed to fulfill that purpose. Music reaches, connects, heals and inspires people in a most powerful way.