One of my favourite songs of all time is Farmer Refuted from the musical Hamilton. It begins with a farmer singing a simple melody criticising the American Revolution:

Heed not the rabble who scream revolution
They have not your interests at heart

Chaos and bloodshed are not a solution
Don’t let them lead you astray

This Congress does not speak for me
They’re playing a dangerous game

I pray the king shows you his mercy
For shame, for shame

In response, American founding father Alexander Hamilton interrupts with a counter-melody over the farmer. The dialogue between the two is quite spectacular:

By itself, the farmer’s melody is linear and uninspiring. The song is slow, repetitive and simplistic. It is only when Hamilton jumps in with the counter-melody, where the song’s genius reveals itself. You begin to see different perspectives of similar issues and some criticisms of the other side. Each singer’s lyrics gives the other’s meaning.

In other domains, seeing multiple stories of the same issue can be extremely interesting. Even if some voices are wrong or unpopular, the net result of all these counter-melodies often paints a wonderful, nuanced picture.

We’re often quick to filter out paradoxical ideas in the name of consistency. Yet, things are usually more special when you break free from the accepted melody, and look for the counter-melodies.

Who knows? You might love the song even more.