We all know the famous opening line:
“Hello darkness, my old friend…”
But most people don’t know the beautiful real story behind it and it absolutely gave me chills.
About 62 years ago, a young Jewish kid from Queens named Art Garfunkel arrived at Columbia University. During freshman orientation, he met Sandy Greenberg.from Buffalo. They bonded instantly over music, books, and that youthful belief that best friends can take on the whole world together. They even made a promise:
We’ll be there for each other, always.
Not long after, tragedy hit. Sandy’s vision started failing. At first doctors brushed it off, but things got worse… until finally he got the devastating news: severe glaucoma. He was going blind.
Sandy’s world collapsed. He fell into depression, dropped out, moved home, and shut out every friend who tried to reach him. He didn’t want to be a burden.
But Art wasn’t having it.
One day, without warning, Art showed up on Sandy’s doorstep in Buffalo uninvited, but very much needed. He begged Sandy to return to college and promised he would be there every step of the way.
And he meant it.
Art literally became Sandy’s eyes… guiding him around campus, reading to him, helping him navigate life in darkness. Art even began calling himself “Darkness” as a way to show: you’re not alone — I’m with you in this.
One day in Grand Central Station, while guiding Sandy through the chaos, Art suddenly said he had to leave. And then… he disappeared.
Sandy panicked. He stumbled, fell, bled, got lost but after hours of struggle, he finally made it back to his dorm alone.
At the door, someone bumped into him and apologized. Sandy recognized the voice immediately.
It was Art.
He had followed him the whole journey close enough to protect him, but far enough to let him discover his strength.
Sandy said that moment changed his entire life.
It taught him: I can do this. I’m not fragile. I’m not defeated.
And he lived by that.
He graduated from Columbia.
Then Harvard.
Then Oxford.
He married his high school sweetheart.
Became a successful businessman and philanthropist.
Years later, while Sandy was studying at Oxford, the phone rang.
It was Art and this time he needed help.
He and Paul Simon were trying to record their very first album and needed $400.
Sandy and his wife had $404 to their name.
He didn’t hesitate. He sent the money.
The album didn’t do well at first… but a year later, one song became a #1 hit:
The Sounds of Silence.
Its opening line “Hello darkness, my old friend” came straight from the way Sandy always greeted Art.
Simon & Garfunkel went on to become one of the most beloved duos in music history.
And to this day, Sandy and Art are still best friends both forever changed by the kindness they gave each other when it mattered most.
Art once said that meeting Sandy made him realize who he truly was:
“Somebody who gives to a friend.”
And Sandy?
He says he’s “the luckiest man in the world.”
What a story.
What a friendship.
What a reminder of the power of showing up for someone. ❤️
On the tribulations of an expatriate in Europe
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
The Sounds of Silence
Posted by Mon
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