Music is a sound that
resembles our life and how we live and maybe even how we think.
Music directly imitates the passions or states of the
soul...when one listens to music that imitates a certain passion, he becomes
imbued with the same passion; and if over a long time he habitually listens to
music that rouses ignoble passions, his whole character will be shaped to an
ignoble form.” –
Aristotle
Music as a big impact
on our lives whether we realize it or not, but it can tell what state of mind
we’re in at times. When we listen to music we tend to listen to the type of
music depending on what kind of mood we’re in at the moment of listening. Our emotions can come from whatever music we
listen to and can affect our abilities in life. A prime example would be
athletes and music before a game. Typically the athletes will listen to some
music that will get them rowdy or pumped up to play the game in the state full
of energy and intense. Another thing is ballroom dances and formal parties. At
these types of venues, typically you’ll hear more of a classical and smoothing
music to go along with the theme and mindset of what the people would like to
hear and that will benefit them and their dates or guests. So not only does
music just give us something to listen too, but also plays a role in helping us
set the mood and gives us the affect to do something in a certain way.
“Any musical innovation is full of danger to the whole
state, and ought to be prohibited. When modes of music change, the fundamental
laws of the state always change with them”-Plato.
Plato, from my own understanding believed that music
should be taken away because it can damage us as a person and changes the way
we think and act in society and through our life. Now, I agree to an extent
because music doesn’t always have positive aspects on us and can mentally
brainwash us if we don’t be careful. Since music has the sound we like to hear
when we’re in a certain state of mind, we can listen to certain songs that have
negativity involved in its lyrics which can provoke us as listeners to want to
do the act we are hearing in the music. For example, if we’re mad at someone
and we’re listening to a song that’s talking harming or endangering a certain
someone, then it’s probably not best we listen to those types of songs because depending
on what type of person you are, it might possibly come back to bite you if you’re
easily influenced by the lyrics you hear. Not only is music that talks about
harming others a bad thing, but also music that encourages us to do harmful
things to ourselves like drinking alcohol to where we can’t think or remember
and to do drugs. So yes, Plato is right when it comes to having music taken
away that has those bad affects on us. In reality though, that type of music
will never go away.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.