[RallyMcnally]

The passage is an English translation from the Chinese poet Lu Bu We's "Spring and Autumn":

"The origins of music lie far back in the past. Music arises from Measure and is rooted in the great Oneness. The great Oneness begets the two poles; the two poles beget the power of Darkness and Light.

"When the world is at peace, when all things are tranquil and all men obey their superiors in all their courses, then music can be perfected. When desires and passions do not turn into wrongful paths, music can be perfected. Perfect music has its cause. It arises from equilibrium. Equilibrium arises from righteousness, and righteousness arises from the meaning of the cosmos. Therefore one can speak about music only with a man who has percieved the meaning of the cosmos.

"Music is founded on the harmony between heaven and earth, on the concord of obscurity and brightness.

"Decaying states and men ripe for doom do not, of course, lack music either, but their music is not serene. Therefore, the more tempestuous the music, the more doleful are the people, the more imperiled the country, the more the sovereign declines. In this way the essence of music is lost.

"What all sacred sovereigns have loved in music was its serenity. The tyrants Giae and Jou Sin made tempestuous music. They thought loud sounds beautiful and massed effects interesting. They strove for new and rare tonal effects, for notes which no ear had ever heard hitherto. They sought to surpass each other, and overstepped all bounds.

"The cause of the degeneration of the Chu state was its invention of magic music. Such music is indeed tempestuous enough, but in truth has departed from the essence of music. Because it has departed from the essence of real music, this music is not serene. If music is not serene, the people grumble and life is deranged. All this arises from mistaking the nature of music and seeking only tempestuous tonal effects.

"Therefore the music of a well-ordered age is calm and cheerful, and so is its government. The music of a restive age is excited and fierce, and its government is perverted. The music of a decaying state is sentimental and sad, and its government is imperiled."

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I find this passage to be very true. Music has such a major affect on our minds. Look at the "emo youth" these days, and how they dress & act according to the "harsh" music they listen too.
Just go on myspace to see how they talk to one another. It's quite sad.

Look back to the 60's and early 70's and see how much music had an affect on people & the government. Music can truly change the world.

Musicians should wake up and take more responsibility for the music their creating, especially if it's being mass produced and being heard by millions.

Anyway I use to be a big siouxsie sioux, cocteau twins, diamanda galas and other gothic style music fan. I thought I was so cool. Nobody was listening to what I was listening too.

It's amazing how music affects you socially. I was a lonely kid. Not many gothic music lovers have many friends, as I'm sure you've noticed. Because they isolate theirselves from being social with people who aren't listening to the music they are listening too.

I think we all need to open our minds more. Bleh!