One of the songs I remember learning in the school choir was Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence. It is a powerful song that holds multiple meanings for many people. Art Garfunkel, introducing the song at a live performance in1966, summed up the song’s meaning as “the inability of people to communicate with each other, not particularly intentionally but especially emotionally, so what you see around you are people unable to love each other.”

Written by Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel said the song was inspired by his close friend Sandford Greenberg. Art and ‘Sandy’ along with Jerry Speyer, were college roommates.

Sandy had been misdiagnosed with glaucoma, which caused his eyesight to deteriorate during the first semester in college. The following year he lost his sight completely. Sandy described lying in a hospital bed, newly blind, thinking about how a bright future had been cruelly snatched away from him. He was from a Jewish family that struggled to stay above the poverty line. His father, Albert, was a tailor and had died of a heart attack when Sandy was only five years old. Sandy had been awarded a full college scholarship at Columbia University, and now it seemed like he was destined to a limited life of menial work. Art arrived at the hospital, encouraging Sandy to return to his studies – he and Jerry were committed to supporting Sandy with reading and any other assistance. Art is quoted as saying, “the darkness will accompany you, and I will be your light”. Sandy recounted the visit as “the end of hopelessness – he lifted me out of the grave”.

Sandy graduated with honours as class president. He completed a master's and PhD at Harvard. He served in the White House under every president, from Lyndon Johnson to Bill Clinton. He launched his own company, Electronic Data Processing, which has perfected speech-compression devices for the blind. He is best known, however, for his philanthropy. The Greenberg Prize is a three million USD prize awarded to researchers who contribute the most toward the cause of ending blindness. Sandy recently published an autobiography, Hello Darkness My Old Friend; the audio version is narrated by Art. Jerry, son of Jewish parents who fled Nazi Germany, became a billionaire real estate developer. He also channels a large proportion of his wealth into charitable foundations.

When Art initially shared The Sound of Silence with Sandy, he and Paul were struggling musicians living in their respective parents’ homes. Sandy loved the song and contributed $500 for the song to be recorded. It ultimately became their first hit, launching their career not just in the USA but across Europe and Australia. 

The Sound of Silence is a paradox denoting the cultural alienation taking place in the 1960s. But at its heart is a story of unyielding friendship, determination not to let darkness bring alienation and a lesson that a little encouragement and support can actually change the direction of someone’s life. Look out for someone this week!

Linda Gray
 linda@relationshipsanctuary.com.au
 0401 517 243