“Tryin’ Times,” written by Donny Hathaway and Leroy Hutson and made famous in the late 1960s by Roberta Flack, gives voice to the struggles and injustices of the Civil Rights era, pleading for compassion and kindness toward those suffering amid social upheaval.

 

Once again, we find ourselves in trying times.

We still have not fully learned from history. We slip into the same patterns—conflict, war, addiction, abuse—again and again. Yet through it all, music and the arts endure, helping to carry us through these recurring “tryin’ times.”

Music makes us dance, lifts our spirits, and offers a space for reflection.

Across the world, musicians and artists continue to create. Despite low pay and limited material rewards, they keep working with genuine heart and soul—not with mass‑produced or AI‑generated “music,” but with living art that reaches people everywhere.

Think about the music you love, then imagine life without the arts—without movies, theatre, or music. Consider the care and countless hours poured into creating this work for others to enjoy, and how music and the arts deepen our empathy for those who are less fortunate in these “trying times.”

Support your local musicians and artists. Stream an Australian music playlist, see a live band, visit a local gallery, book tickets to a nearby theatre production, or watch an independent film and reflect on how far cinema has come. The cost of a single night out is small compared with the cultural loss we’d face without music and the arts.

If the price of a ticket feels high, pause to consider what it would mean to lose these experiences entirely. As the Canadian band Rush puts it in their song “Bravado”: “We will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.”