Last week, I attended 'Candlelight: A Tribute to Pink Floyd'
an orchestral rendition of Pink Floyd’s music, in Belfast Castle.
Pink Floyd’s music has been such a big part of my life, and I reckon I have listened to them most weeks since I was 14 years old, attending the North Weald Fighter Meet of 1985.
I found the evening surprisingly and deeply moving. Roger Waters never knew his father: Eric was a conscientious objector, then changed his mind and joined in 1943, losing his life at the Battle of Anzio in 1944, when Roger was 5 months old. Therefore, much of Pink Floyd’s lyrics reflect the themes of the pointlessness of war, plus the cutthroat music industry. How war and fame dehumanise and isolate people. Additionally, the inspirational lead and founder of the group, Syd Barrett, blew his mind on LSD. This led Pink Floyd to capture in their music on numerous occasions the theme of absence. The album Wish You were Here, is entirely about absence. Anyway, the string quartet seemed to capture this theme in a poignant setting.
We are all products of our past experiences, and we must seek to understand our backgrounds if we are going to understand today and understand how we respond to what happens in our worlds.
Only by knowing our past can we really plan for our futures and help get everyone home safe, every day.
#compassionatesafety #safetyleadership #safetyculture
