Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
There's another disadvantage to the use of the flashlight: like many other mechanical gadgets it tends to separate a man from the world around him. If I switch it on my eyes adapt to it and I can see only the small pool of light it makes in front of me; I am isolated. Leaving the flashlight in my pocket where it belongs, I remain a part of the environment I walk through and my vision though limited has no sharp or definite boundary.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote illustrates how relying on artificial devices, like a flashlight, can disconnect us from the natural world around us.
Edward Abbey highlights the idea that using mechanical gadgets, such as a flashlight, can create a barrier between individuals and their surroundings. By focusing solely on the limited area illuminated by the flashlight, one becomes isolated and loses the broader perspective of the environment. In contrast, by not using such devices, individuals can immerse themselves fully in their surroundings, experiencing life without artificial constraints.
Themes
FlashlightNatureIsolationMechanical GadgetsEnvironment
In practice
Example use cases
During a hiking trip, one could share this quote to discuss the importance of being present in nature without distractions.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes →I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
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If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
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The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
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