Confucius said, "What's the use of keeping the ceremony without benevolence and righteousness?" If a person has no kindness, what is the use of rites and music? "Special note: the word" music "here does not mean music, but ritual music! Rites and music are external and benevolence is internal.
Confucius was in troubled times, facing the disintegration of the old aristocratic system, the drastic changes of social classes and the unclear culture. Therefore, he tried to revive the ritual music, hoping to save the chaotic situation of its collapse.
But he also realized that the so-called rites and music are only external forms, and the inner benevolence is the real core of human nature and the foundation of culture. Rites and music are also from people's inner feelings. For Confucius, the true meaning of rites and music is to correct people's hearts and shape perfect people's psychology.
Therefore, without the kernel of benevolence, rites and music are not its rites and music, but just a useless empty shell to be saved. Such rites and music are by no means what Confucius tried to revive and carry forward.
Extended data:
Rites and Music (Etiquette and Music)
Rites and music began in Xia and Shang Dynasties, and Duke Zhou's ritual and music system formed a unique cultural system at the beginning of Zhou Dynasty. Later, Confucius and Mencius combined the essence of their predecessors to create a Confucian cultural system with rites, music, benevolence and righteousness as the core, which has been inherited and developed to this day, and is an important part of China's ancient civilization.
The culture of rites and music of the Chinese nation has established China as a state of rites and music, also known as a state of etiquette. "Rite and Music Culture" has created the brilliance of mankind in the history of Chinese civilization. Although modern industrial and commercial scientific and technological civilization attaches too much importance to material interests, the traditional "ritual and music culture" has been impacted by commercial secular culture and lost the essential spirit of classical simplicity.
However, the traditional "ritual and music culture" can still promote human morality and make people realize self-improvement today. As early as the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, ancient sages formed a fairly perfect system of rites and music through the system of rites and music, and promoted it to the moral and ethical education of maintaining the harmonious social order of mankind.
Rites and music civilization has had a great and far-reaching impact on the development history of Chinese civilization for thousands of years, and it still has its strong vitality.
References:
Baidu encyclopedia-music