🎶 Music Calmed the Savage Beast

They say music calms the savage beast—though the original phrase (from William Congreve, 1697) actually went:

“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast,

To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.”

 

Still, the remix stuck. And honestly, both images work. Whether you’re taming wild animals or just trying to calm the chaos inside your own chest, music is medicine for the soul.

📖 The Biblical Beats

The Bible knew this long before Congreve’s play hit the stage. In 1 Samuel 16, King Saul was tormented by an “evil spirit,” and young David would take up his harp:

 “Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.” (1 Samuel 16:23)

That’s therapy—ancient edition. No pills, no scroll prescriptions—just six strings and a steady hand.

And don’t forget the Psalms themselves. David didn’t just play music, he wrote it, turning prayer into song and sorrow into soundtracks for the human condition.

🏛️ The Philosopher Dudes

The old Greeks had their take too:

Plato said music was a kind of moral education—warning that the wrong rhythms could corrupt the soul, but the right ones could harmonize it. (Republic, Book III).

Aristotle argued that music provides catharsis, a cleansing of emotions, especially in tragedy.

Pythagoras even thought music was woven into the cosmos itself—the “music of the spheres,” with planets humming their own eternal harmonies.

For the Stoics, this lined up neatly: order, proportion, and harmony weren’t just about sound—they were about life. Get your rhythm right, and you’re in tune with the Logos itself.

💨 The Stoic Stoner Spin

So whether it’s David plucking strings to soothe Saul, Plato warning against the wrong vibes, or Aristotle nodding along to tragedy—it’s the same truth:

Music isn’t just entertainment. It’s alignment. It tunes the inner frequency, smoothing out the static of rage, fear, or sorrow.

Light up, put on a record, and suddenly the beast in your chest takes a seat. The savage breast softens. And for a moment—you’re in harmony with the universe.

Stoner Proverb 🎵

A joint and a jam session can do what medicine sometimes can’t: remind the beast it’s still human.