Yo-Yo Ma’s “This I Believe”

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma shares his thoughts in “This I Believe”, a regular program broadcasted in NPR’s “All Things Considered”.

So, rather than settling on any one of the cultures in which I grew up, I now choose to explore many more cultures and find elements to love in each. Every day I make an effort to go toward what I don’t understand. This wandering leads to the accidental learning that continually shapes my life.
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It is extraordinary the way people, music and cultures develop. The paths and experiences that guide them are unpredictable. Shaped by our families, neighborhoods, cultures and countries, each of us ultimately goes through this process of incorporating what we learn with who we are and who we seek to become. As we struggle to find our individual voices, I believe we must look beyond the voice we’ve been assigned, and find our place among the tones and timbre of human expression.