05/26/2026
One of the gifts of Quaker community is that Friends speak from their own experience and understanding of the Sacred. We do not always use the same language or hold identical theology, but we listen for truth and insight in one another’s reflections. This piece is offered in that Spirit.
“What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
- Reflection by Preston, CFM Friend
“What a Wonderful World” was made famous by Louis Armstrong and is the pinnacle of ‘secular holy' for me. The concept of ‘secular holy’ (non-religious concepts, spaces, or ideas, that are sacred) is something I've been enamored with since at least the first time I read “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Hemingway. It becomes especially sacred to me when music is a focus. While dozens of songs make my list, such as, “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” “Winds of Change,” and others, “What a Wonderful World” is my favorite.
It loosely follows biblical tradition, opening with the wonder of creation. From trees, to flowers, to the sky itself, before ever moving to humankind (in many ways the pinnacle of earthly creation), the singer reminds us that greeting our neighbors in joy is to share love. Finally, he manages to be both optimistic and melancholy in the same line. We are given the hope of the future and profound loss, speaking of crying babies- “they'll learn more, than I'll ever know.” There is such hope in the song for those with more distress than knowledge, knowing that they can learn to appreciate all that is around them, even more than the enlightened speaker himself does, but his voice still carries a depth, even a sorrow, that speaks to the fragility of life.
