"If music be the food of love, play on."

During the height of the global BLM protests, when the community was rightfully raw with grief, anger and exhaustion – and at the same time the U.S. election loomed heavy with uncertainty – one of the most instrumental tools that helped shift the energy was a humble yet brilliant online idea: the Verzuz rap battles.

These beloved online events were more than just music and celebratory trips down memory lane. They became a global tuning fork – an instrument that vibrates at a pure frequency and pulls everything around it into resonance. For a few hours at a time, people weren’t immersed in outrage or despair, but in fun and togetherness. It was soup for the soul. And that lift in mood mattered, because when a whole community spends less time focusing on lack, injustice or fear, and more time embodying joy and connection, they unknowingly align themselves with the very outcomes they desire. And indeed, the election result reflected that momentum.

This irreverent and unintentionally genius series serves as a brilliant lesson for right now, when headlines are full of talk about “World War III” and fear campaigns spread like wildfire (often on purpose, with ill intent). The best antidote isn’t to deny the challenges of the world, but to refuse to feed them our life force. Physics shows that attention is energy: the more minds that dwell on fear, the stronger its probability becomes (and the psy-op guys with their propaganda bots know this). The more minds that dwell on joy, solidarity and creative flow, the stronger that probability becomes.

And we already have the tools. Just as Shakespeare alluded in his iconic play 'Twelfth Night' – "If music be the food of love, play on", touring artists, comedians and performers are everywhere again, creating spaces where strangers come together to laugh, sing and remember what it feels like to be alive. While with its massive global reach, social media can work the same way: every time you run into something toxic or manipulative, flip it into fuel and throw light back out. Drop some kindness. Lift someone up. Reach out to a fellow human. Whatever works. One ripple of good cancels out way more than a doomscroll post ever could.

If Verzuz taught us anything (besides reminding everyone just how brilliant the artists of the world are), it’s this: collective joy is not frivolous – it is revolutionary. It shifts timelines. It creates openings. It strengthens communities. And it is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to resist the plague of fear being sown right now and align with the future we want to see.

It’s human nature to crave connection, just be as discerning and “alchemical” as you can about what the bond is.

Read my full work, The Book of Revolution, for deeper insights into art, inspiration and enlightenment.