Buddhist Temple

This was a wonderful field trip! The temple and Reverend Kaz were not what I expected. He was very laid back and humorous.It was a lot easier to learn about Buddhism from the lecture than from the documents, although those provided a more monastic viewpoint.

I really enjoyed the meditation. Usually I have a lot of trouble focusing, but this was much easier. I think the concept of "looking for the silence" along with the slowly fading out bell sound helped. No one will be ever be able to experience total silence or completely clear their mind, so the idea of constantly working towards that point works better. I was very relaxed- almost fell asleep at one point but I stopped myself! It felt much shorter than 15 minutes, and when I walked outside I felt completely refreshed. It was honestly incredible, like a weight had been lifted off of me. So I guess I finally was able to meditate somewhat successfully.

I also liked the idea of mediating during other activities too. I think I've actually done music meditations before, just without calling it that. It's really interesting to see how different pieces of the song work together. I still want to know which Lady Gaga song the girl was listening to. What would definitely be good for me is eating meditations. I usually only eat when I am bored or distracted- and I won't notice just how much I'm eating. I tend to eat pretty inconsistently because of this. Now I'm trying to focus on having set meals, where I actually take the time to sit down and enjoy the food, as opposed to eating entire boxes of chips without realizing it. I'm already feeling a bit better because of it!

I Ching Interpretation (K'un and Ken)

K'un- The Receptive, Earth

This hexagram is made up of broken lines only. The broken lines represents the dark, yielding, receptive primal power of yin. The attribute of the hexagram is devotion; its image is the earth. It is the perfect complement of THE CREATIVE--the complement, not the opposite, for the Receptive does not combat the Creative but completes it . It represents nature in contrast to spirit, earth in contrast to heaven, space as against time, the female-maternal as against the male-paternal. However, as applied to human affairs, the principle of this complementary relationship is found not only in the relation between man and woman, but also in that between prince and minister and between father and son. Indeed, even in the individual this duality appears in the coexistence of the spiritual world and the world of the senses. But strictly speaking there is no real dualism here, because there is a clearly defined hierarchic relationship between the two principles. In itself of course the Receptive is just as important as the Creative, but the attribute of devotion defines the place occupied by this primal power in relation to the Creative. For the Receptive must be activated and led by the Creative; then it is productive of good. Only when it abandons this position and tries to stand as an equal side by side with the Creative, does it become evil. The result then is opposition to and struggle against the Creative, which is productive of evil to both.

Movement in lines 3 and 6

Hidden lines.
One is able to remain persevering.
If by chance you are in the service of a king,
Seek not works, but bring to completion.

Dragons fight in the meadow.
Their blood is black and yellow.

Ken - Keeping Still, Mountain
The image of this hexagram is the mountain, the youngest son of heaven and earth. The male principle is at the top because it strives upward by nature; the female principle is below, since the direction of its movement has come to its normal end. In its application to man, the hexagram turns upon the problem of achieving a quiet heart. It is very difficult to bring quiet to the heart. While Buddhism strives for rest through an ebbing away of all movement in nirvana, the Book of Changes holds that rest is merely a state of polarity that always posits movement as its complement. Possibly the words of the text embody directions for the practice of yoga.

This was a fun exercise, but in a way it felt like reading a horoscope. I can force my situation to fit what is described, but if I had a different reading, I would've molded my opinion to fit that. Initially I misunderstood the lines with movement, and thought that my second hexagram was Chen. Trying to figure out what that had to do with me and then finding out that I wasn't even looking at the right thing lessened my interest.

Although I do see how both of these hexagrams could relate to me. I became pretty frustrated reading the description of K'un. For years I have been beating myself up about not putting enough effort into my own writing and creative output. I remember reading a section from Foucault's Pendulum (a book I never finished) where a character talked about how he could only edit books, never write them. It struck me then, and I was again reminded of it looking at the hexagrams. Am I truly incapable of occupying the position of The Creative, or am I just too lazy and nervous to try?

All my life I have been "yielding". Reading not writing, listening not speaking. Always waiting for someone else to put themselves out there so that I won't have to. It takes me too long to take one step forward. Do I really need to be advised to yield further?

And "Keeping Still"? Christ, I barely leave the house. When have I ever moved to quickly, or too much?

Line-By-Line Interpretation

Heaven and earth are enduring. The reason why heaven and earth can be enduring is that they do not give themselves life.

Heaven and earth are eternal and do not die or end. Because all that lives must die, heaven and earth do not die, and are thus enduring. Heaven and earth embody all, instead of taking on one specific individuality or life, they encompass everything, and they are everlasting.

Hence they are able to be long-lived.

Heaven and earth do not give themselves life, which is why they are able to be long-lived. They are not focused on the self, so they do not give life to themselves. They are everything, so they are long-lived.

Therefore the sage puts his person last and comes first,

The sage does not focus on his own life, his individual self. Instead, he puts it last by focusing more on the whole, and being more like heaven and earth. Because he does not focus on his own life and self, he is able to benefit and have a good life.

Treats it as extraneous to himself and it is preserved.

The sage separates himself from the way as a whole, and in this way he can preserve his own life. The sage does not think in terms of the mortal self, but eternal heaven and earth. In this way he preserves himself.

Is it not because he is without thought of self that he is able to accomplish his private ends?

The sage takes himself out of his own situation and because of this he benefits and is able to live a fulfilling life and accomplish things.

Qi Gong

I did not expect this to be nearly as hard as it was. I thought the exercise would be similar to what we did early in the year- 18 minutes of silence. I didn't do as well at that as I had hoped then, so I wanted to try and improve with the meditation. Unfortunately, Qi Gong proved much more difficult.

I was almost immediately thrown off by the positions described in the tape. I found the sitting position uncomfortable and I wasn't sure where to put my hands and tongue. The physical aspect of meditation distracted me the entire time, and by the end I had given up on reaching a meditative state. I thought some of the imagery provided by the master was gorgeous and peaceful, but I couldn't focus on it.

Something I found interesting was the master/translator talking about naturally expressing sounds and movements you feel inside. I heard many sounds in my mind, but of course, I did not act on them. No one did. I think I would've felt uncomfortable letting myself go, or seeing anyone else do it. I have to wonder if it would be different trying this meditation completely alone. Maybe the presence of others struggling like me was what was really distracting.

Wall-E Seminar Questions Part 3

6. Identify one item in the "avalanche of detritus" you feel is an important symbol. Why?

I loved the recording from Hello, Dolly!, especially since it was referenced throughout the movie. This is Wall-E's first knowledge of humans (unless if he remembers them from when he was first built), and ironically, it comes from a machine. The music seems anachronistic in comparison to the Axiom and desolate Earth, but it fits and helps tie the movie together.

7. The Axiom might be described as a "utopic" existence. Do you agree or disagree with that description?
There is no suffering on the Axiom. Everyone is at peace, and has all of their needs and want. So I would agree that it portrays a utopian society. The word "utopia" actually seems to have gained some negative connotations with books like 1984 and Brave New World. The Axiom reminds me a lot of the society in Brave New World. People had everything they needed and there was no bad feeling, but they weren't able to take care of themselves or experience true emotion or critical thoughts. They weren't living fulfilling lives, because they didn't really notice or interact with the world around them.

8. What is the impact of an almost complete lack of dialogue?
The lack of dialogue at the beginning of the movie was barely noticeable, surprisingly. The scenes did not need dialogue to convey emotion and hold the audience's interest. Pixar did a similar thing at the beginning of Up, although the time period without dialogue was much shorter.

9. How does the film depict the human condition and what contemporary references could you use as analogies?
Every film depicts the human condition. Everything depicts the human condition. Broad question! But like we were saying in class, what's interesting is the robots taking on human characteristics that humans themselves seem to have abandoned. It forces you to think about how much technology can change the act of being human. A lot of things that would have once taken long periods of work can now be accomplished with button clicks. Is that bad?

10. The Captain states, "I don't want to survive, I want to live." Interpret this statement.

Surviving on the Axiom is very easy; it means nothing. So the Captain wants to do something worthwhile with his life. Staying in space would have ensured the survival of everyone on the Axiom, but their lives would be monotonous and unfulfilled. By returning to Earth, the Captain is able to discover new things, work hard, and truly think about and experience the act of living.

Wall-E Seminar Questions Part 2

2. The genre of "Wall-E" is an allegorical romance. Why do you think that classification is appropriate?

I thought this was an odd way of looking at the romance between Wall-E and Eve, because I didn't initially see their romance as directly symbolizing any one thing in the way that an allegory does. They represent different aspects of love and romance, but I didn't really want to analyze it in that manner. However, after thinking about it, I do understand what could be seen as allegorical about the romance in this movie. As people have pointed out in class, the two characters most capable of human emotion are machines. As humans continue to give more aspects of lives to technology, from physical activity and labor, to entertainment, perhaps we are slowly eroding at our humanity. The lives of humans in Wall-E are completely dictated by machinery. After letting machines take over so many aspects of life, could we unintentionally sacrifice something as crucially human as emotion?
That seems a bit drastic, especially considering that even the people in Wall-E were capable of some level of emotion as soon as they became more aware. But I can see aspects of this even in present day. People live their lives though screens because they are unwilling to live through themselves. If you let Google research for you, if you let a computer think for you, and you let screens create entertainment for you, what is left for you to do? Of course, I'm not exempting myself from this, and I don't think technology is all bad. The computer and internet has helped to make great leaps in communication and accessing information, but we can't let an Auto-Pilot make our decisions for us!
I kind of side-tracked from the question here, but basically, I think it's a profound idea that the two individuals most capable of experiencing human life and emotions like love are not in fact human.

3. What environmental message does Wall-E send?

The first time I saw this movies in theaters, I found the opening scenes jarring, especially since they do not seem that far removed from reality. If we continue to abuse our planet and create more and more, we can not sustain it. And still we produce and produce irresponsibly. There needs to be a much greater effort to work towards sustainable development. Wall-E highlights the dire effects of not being careful- we can ruin the beautiful world we inhabit.

4. How does the movie relate to self-identity? (ontology)

Both Wall-E and Eve first tie their identity with their directive, yet as the movie progresses, they identify themselves with their relationship towards one another. Yet even at the beginning of the movie, Eve seems more self-aware than the people on the Axiom. Eve's directive is to find life. Humans have no directive, except to consume. There isn't critical thought in either instance, but Eve is more motivated and experiencing more. And when Wall-E and Eve meet each other, they continue to develop their self-identity by making decisions for themselves instead of doing what they are programmed to do. And it takes Wall-E and Eve to help others find their own identity (in the cases of the Captain and two people they run into).

5. What might be the significance of calling the corporate company "Buy 'n Large"?

Buy 'n Large recalls the likes of WalMart, Target, and IKEA. Out of these three, I've only been to Target, but it is easy to see the huge influence places like these hold in America. Go to one of these stores and you can spend hours buying...everything! Everything is one place, and you are constantly encouraged to buy bigger and buy more. In a way it creates a feeling of uniformity- which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it means that we become more and more alienated from the product. We are also buying a ton of crap. Does anyone really need all of this stuff? Like in the movie, just about everything will be trash one day.

Wall-E Seminar Questions, Part 1

1. Quote from NY Times article, Walt Rich, "Wall-E for President": This movie seems more realistically in touch with what troubles America than either the substance or the players of the political food fight beyond the multiplex's wall. Do you agree or disagree with this statement, and why?

Wall-E touches upon many problems which are facing America today that are ignored or touched upon in a superficial way. The first time I watched this movie, the first thing I noticed was the jarring environmental message. We are consuming resources and producing at a rate at which the Earth can not keep up with. Our population has been growing rapidly since the industrial revolution, and as a group, we do not behave responsibly enough to handle everything we are doing to the world around us. I remember learning in Environmental Systems last year that some scientists see this as another wave of extinction- this is how severely we are harming the other species around us .

This movie also focused on corporatism and mass production, which contribute heavily to the irresponsibility in environmental matters. They also make consumers dependent on them- without these corporations and mega-stores, so many would be without a source of income or a place to buy products. I think that Wall-E demonstrated how becoming reliant on a company such as Buy n' Large and their products diminishes our individual autonomy and puts too much power in the hands of company owners. I especially liked Jordan's comment on how people in oligarchic-like states can turn to these cheaper, easier kind of stores, which then turn into tyrannies.

If one has been paying any attention to the GOP primaries, it is pretty easy to see that the political atmosphere is not centered around the big problems which are relevant to the country as a whole. We are taking up a massive amounts of debt, greatly hurting our environment, and having a lot of problems internationally. Yet, because some of these problems are difficult to face, politicians chose to ignore them outright.

Red Celia and Last Thoughts on Philosophy of Art

This is the piece I chose for the practice IA. After writing 3 pages on it, I still can't quite put into words why I like it so much. Throughout this unit, I've found that it really is difficult to write about any form of art. I'm sure that's partially do to the fact that I am no art expert by any stretch of the imagination, but there is another problem. It's trying to logically explain an emotional response. So many times during my paper, I was tempted to stop explaining and say "Well, just look at it! Don't you get it?" I felt similarly trying to write about why I liked certain songs. Sometimes a song will just hit me at the right time. I'll listen to it for hours on end for weeks on end, and then forget about it completely when something else comes along. If I try to listen to it again, I'll have no idea why I got so caught up in it the first place, but I'll still love it just as much because it reminds me of a way I felt at a certain time. So much of it is a gut feeling- some word or note or image just stuck.

I don't think any essay or paper on aesthetics can ever hold the same weight as a piece of art itself. Still, I definitely think this was a fascinating and worthwhile unit. It was very interesting to try and examine what makes something art, or good art. It's difficult to interpret the various reactions we have to art, but they say so much about who we are.


photo: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=80010

Reflection on 2nd Quarter

Second quarter was, in many ways, much more difficult than the first. One good thing I can say is that this is one class where I feel very comfortable sharing my own thoughts, which is not usually true. I truly enjoy the dynamic of our class. It's a great community.

But I feel as though I lost a lot of motivation in second quarter, in this class, and frankly, in school in general. I felt very out-of-focus overall.

Getting through The Republic was tough. The only other book I have read from that point in time is The Odyssey, which I struggled with even more. I disagreed so frequently with Plato, and found his style of explaining ideas exasperating. I wished he would present his ideas in a clearer format. I understand that the purpose of explaining ideas through a dialogue was to show how to arrive at a conclusion, rather than being force-fed information to agree with. But it was frustrating! The wording was also difficult to get through, which I imagine had a lot to do with translating ancient Greek. So I'm sorry to admit that I don't think I got everything I could out of that book. I did the readings, but I did not enjoy them, or have any desire to delve further. I am regretful that I didn't put more into this. It was an interesting experience to read an older philosophical text, especially because this is the first thing we have read directly from that author, as opposed to someone else's interpretations. But I would've gained more from it if I was better focused.

I already wrote a bit about my regrets over writing the song, but I am at least happy that I finally pulled myself together and finished it. I think that my viewpoint in this class started to shift drastically during the debate on imperfect societies. I felt much more engaged. I was able to synthesize a lot of outside information on forms of government, and it made it much easier to relate The Republic to my own life. I am still somewhat surprised that I actually enjoyed debating. Being put on the spot and asked to defend an idea is not something I'm terribly good at it. In the past, I have been pretty awful at eliciting ideas verbally, but I think that I've improved a lot this year.

And the unit on art has been great, I think because it is something all of us can instantly relate to. I was irrationally nervous about playing two songs for the class. I actually had to stop myself from shaking while I was waiting, even though it was a very easy assignment. Natalie and I were talking about how it has something to do with sharing such a personal part of yourself with a group of people. The songs you like make up a part of who you are. I think everyone sharing songs with others actually made us closer as a class. I loved every song I heard, and hearing people explain their own experiences with them made them take on a much deeper meaning.

Anyways, I am looking forward to my last semester of high school, a time where I believe we all start to philosophize a bit more, whether we want to or not.

Siren Song

Siren Song, by Margaret Atwood

This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:

the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see beached skulls

the song nobody knows
because anyone who had heard it
is dead, and the others can’t remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don’t enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don’t enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique

at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.

We read this poem in English class awhile ago, which prompted me to write a poem about my relationship with music in response to it. It's unfinished, but I think that because of this unit we've had in Philosophy class, I'll have to go back and finish it up. I'm very surprised to see just how Platonic some of my writing on music was! I disagree with Plato wholeheartedly on the idea that art, as a whole, is bad, but I am finally starting to understand what he was saying. We become so entranced with aesthetics, that we forget how they relate to their own life. We drift away into a fantasy world where we don't have to play by the rules of our own life. Do we attach false meanings to art, in order to justify our irrational enjoyment of it? I don't know.

Anyways, I know Plato is no fan of poetry, but I think he would certainly appreciate the idea Atwood has here. :)

Reflection on The Debate

I am sincerely proud of myself and my team in the government debate, and I feel like I learned a lot in the process. I am not the best at thinking and speaking on my feet, but I think I am improving a lot.

The format for the debate was much more structured than those before, and I think that was helpful. And because of the large number of groups, we couldn't dwell on one point for too long, and were able to come up with more specific attacks and examples. I also think I did a much better job of preparing for the debate. It's very interesting to have to think critically about democracy, because we have all been brought up with it. It forced me to evaluate a lot of assumptions I have about this system of government.

I believe Emma was the person who said after time, each team started to really take on the government they'd been assigned to as their own. It's true in my case. After this debate, I have a firmer belief in the democratic system. If we want people to be responsible citizens in a society, we have to trust them with a responsibility!

The United States was criticized multiple times during the debate, since the country does not always live up to it's democratic ideals, and as of late, the government seems somewhat incapable of making serious decisions. The US Government does not always seem like the government my group described in the debate. There are no direct elections on the national level. Even the president is decided by the electoral college, so if you are living in a state which votes for a different candidate than you, your vote is no longer counted. You can vote for one of two parties(yes, there's more- but they never have a serious impact), and the party politics take it from there. Madison argued that the creation of factions like these is unfortunate but inevitable, and in a large, diverse country such as the US, the several opposing factions will cancel each other out, so that none is too powerful. I am not sure whether or not this is true. I see a lot of factions cancelling each other out on either side, but I feel as though it is only creating an unnecessary deadlock, and people become distracted from the most important issues by random topics which are less significant to the country as a whole. This creates space for some individuals and lobbying groups to hold a larger amount of power behind the scenes. The two-party system feeds into this, and I think it is very flawed in it's current state.

In spite of this, the United States is still a functioning, powerful country. And it is not the only example we have, or even the best example if we are talking about direct democracy. The great thing about democracy is that it can fit a wide variety of populations, because the people can create and influence it so that it represents them best.

My Song

I've had this post sitting unfinished for about a month now. Since this is our second musical assignment this year, I think it's a good time to finally get this done!

I'm can't say I'm really proud of the song I wrote for class, which basically is about me not wanting to write a song. The thought of having to write something and present it to the class was so nerve-wracking to me that I put it off until the morning of, when I decided I didn't have the time or desire to finish the assignment. I had been thinking of what to write before that point, but I was so nervous about writing something bad, that I ended up scrapping every one of my attempts before I got anywhere. Even though I knew this wasn't meant to be a masterpiece or anything, I hated the thought of writing and presenting so much that I almost convinced myself I didn't actually have to do it, and I wouldn't be able to do it anyways.

Of course I was forced out of that delusion after going to class, and I wrote the song that night. Like I said in class, I had been trying use melodies to songs I really loved, but then I never wanted to change the lyrics. So I chose Will The Circle Be Unbroken because it has a pretty, simple melody, and I didn't know much of the lyrics beforehand. I wrote about fear, nerves, and regret because these things prevent me from going on with a lot of plans- even the smallest things, like this assignment. At the time I was feeling especially stressed and miserable about the college application process, which added to my worry that I couldn't do anything well. So the song was meant to be my response to all of that; I was telling myself to gain some confidence and be more positive.

Surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed singing in front of class. I'm not a great singer or guitar player, but I felt like was sharing an intimate part of myself- and that didn't bother me! I could forget all the worry I hard over the assignment and just enjoy performing . And it was wonderful to hear what everyone else created. There were some truly amazing songs!

I am reminded of a project we had sophomore year, in which we had to write a short story about anything we wanted to. I wanted so badly to write something really well, and became so nervous and disappointed in what I was doing that I made myself miserable. It got to the point that I couldn't even look at or think about writing anything. I hated it. For no reason! No one was going to criticize me about anything I wrote. It wasn't being published. I ended up turning in a haphazardly written story two days before the school year ended- over a month after the project was due.

I think that there's an idea, or even hope, that creating a piece of writing or art is some random act of brilliance. Close your eyes and pour out all your thoughts and emotions- then something beautiful will be created if you have it in you. But it is a long, painful process. You have to come up with a lot of bad stuff before you can hit something gold. You have to revise, redo, revise and redo, a million times. You have to spend so much time working on something that you don't want to look at it anymore. You have to fail some before you can succeed.

And the idea of failure is always frightening. But, at least in my case, failing at something this intimate stings that much more. If you can't even successfully express what you're feeling, what the hell can you do? That's a warped line of thought I often fall to. It's hurt me a lot over the past few years. Creation is a continuing process. It is not an all-or-nothing attempt. Every step you take is improvement. You just have to summon up the courage and persistence to take those steps.

Wall Of Death

Wall of Death, by Richard & Linda Thompson

I wanted to do another song that was faster and livelier. This song is from the album Shoot Out The Lights. Considering the title, it's funny that this is the most upbeat track on the album!

I can't say this song accurately pinpoints any one point in my life, because I am not that cool. But the way it describes becoming bored with every typical, mundane activity is something I think most of us can relate to. We are all somewhat drawn to what is most risky and dangerous. The narrator in this song doesn't care for anything at a carnival except the "Wall of Death", which could symbolize any risk, or even destructive behavior. I'm an extremely cautious, worrisome person, so I like that this song advocates throwing aside all your boring day-to-day activities and living on the edge. At the same time, it's kind of sad. The person in the song doesn't enjoy anything unless it's somewhat destructive. On some level, I think this speaks to all of us. Even if we live perfectly "normal" lives, we may have some small, secret hope to forget it all and just leap.

Also, the guitar playing in this song is great, especially in the live version I have on my iPod. I love the way the song is set up as someone going to a fair. This is just a really fun song I love to listen to at home.

Don't You Take It Too Bad

Don't You Take It Too Bad, by Townes Van Zandt

I first heard this song earlier this year. I think it is the perfect song for any slow, rainy morning. Or anytime you're feeling down and tired ( and unfeeling, unloving, and alone. :) ). I love this song because it reminds me that we aren't perfect and life isn't perfect, and to not stress if things aren't going exactly they should. The lines: "And if you go searching/ For rhyme or for reason/ Well you won't have the time/ That it takes just for talking" are great, especially considering how much we search for meaning in a philosophy class. Although it is important to look to the big picture, we can't become obsessed with trying to find something "better" and forget how enjoyable small things in life are.

This song speaks to me, because honestly, I often feel guilty about the person I am and how I spend my time, like I'm not living the "right" way. And this always makes me smile, because I remember that everyone feels this from time to time. Life can be a bit screwy, but there is still beauty found in some of the most common things. How soft the time flies past your window at night. The sweetness of springtime and the sound of the rain. I feel happy and not alone.

As for my personal aesthetic, I love how Townes Van Zandt uses a simplistic lyrical style in his songs to express emotion so powerfully. The instrumentals in this particular song are very pretty and relaxing, and the words are also soft and sweet. They fit together perfectly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lioB6CQeEX4

Tolstoy on Beethoven's "Kreutzer Sonata"

A terrible thing is that sonata, especially the presto! And a terrible thing is music in general. What is it? Why does it do what it does? They say that music stirs the soul. Stupidity! A lie! It acts, it acts frightfully (I speak for myself), but not in an ennobling way. It acts neither in an ennobling nor a debasing way, but in an irritating way. How shall I say it? Music makes me forget my real situation. It transports me into a state which is not my own. Under the influence of music I really seem to feel what I do not feel, to understand what I do not understand, to have powers which I cannot have. Music seems to me to act like yawning or laughter; I have no desire to sleep, but I yawn when I see others yawn; with no reason to laugh, I laugh when I hear others laugh. And music transports me immediately into the condition of soul in which he who wrote the music found himself at that time. I become confounded with his soul, and with him I pass from one condition to another. But why that? I know nothing about it? But he who wrote Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ knew well why he found himself in a certain condition. That condition led him to certain actions, and for that reason to him had a meaning, but to me none, none whatever. And that is why music provokes an excitement which it does not bring to a conclusion. For instance, a military march is played; the soldier passes to the sound of this march, and the music is finished. A dance is played; I have finished dancing, and the music is finished. A mass is sung; I receive the sacrament, and again the music is finished. But any other music provokes an excitement, and this excitement is not accompanied by the thing that needs properly to be done, and that is why music is so dangerous, and sometimes acts so frightfully.

I saw this quote a few days ago. It is from a story by Tolstoy, The Kreutzer Sonata (I have not read it). Interesting, Platonic perspective.

In a way, the narrator here is correct. If we ourselves create a piece of music, it is entirely our own, but what of music which is created by someone completely different than us? Often times, I find myself taking on the emotions expressed in a song, even though I have never experienced them myself in their purest form. I have never been in love, but I still listen to love songs. Art represents the possibility. As Aristotle would say, art represents the universal through particulars. All humans have the capability to experience an event and react to it. For a moment, art can make all these possibilities into reality. It awakens emotions in us that we do not know we have. It extends our own reality to include that of all human existence.