music is passion on wheels. music wends its way between the cracks of our preconceived notions, our defenses, our wordy attempts to grapple with the ways of life, and pierces to the core. it is not hobby; it is not extraneous; it is not an elective; it's something keyed into our genetic code from the beginning. it touches our collective awareness. music conveys the intricacies of our feelings better than words or statistics ever will. music's the auditory balm that eases our most sore spots. it creates a unity, however briefly, among the most disparate of minds and souls. it synchronizes the pulse of our hearts. it unlocks little doors we didn't even know were within us and carries us away from our uptight isolation into liberation, into new territory we haven't imagined but recognize, oh, this is where i'm going and this is where i want to go.