Astounded—and indifferent—for he was a man who, in effect, had no ‘day before’.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the profound impact of living in the present moment, dismissing the past as irrelevant.
In this quote, Oliver Sacks reflects on the concept of time and existence, suggesting that some individuals experience life without attachment to their past. This perspective emphasizes a unique understanding of living in the moment, where one is 'astounded' by their current experiences, yet remains indifferent to what has come before. It points to a philosophical inquiry into identity and memory, and how they shape our understanding of self.
In practice
This quote could be used in a meditation workshop to emphasize the importance of living in the present moment.
There will be no one like us when we are gone, but then there is no one like anyone else, ever. When people die, they cannot be replaced. They leave holes that cannot be filled, for it is the fate - the genetic and neural fate - of every human being to be a unique individual, to find his own path, to live his own life, to die his own death.
In general, people are afraid to acknowledge hallucinations because they immediately see them as a sign of something awful happening to the brain, whereas in most cases they're not.
Dr. Kertesz mentioned to me a case known to him of a farmer who had developed prosopagnosia and in consequence could no longer distinguish (the faces of) his cows, and of another such patient, an attendant in a Natural History Museum, who mistook his own reflection for the diorama of an ape
Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears - it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more - it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity.
We see with the eyes, but we see with the brain as well. And seeing with the brain is often called imagination.
I rejoice when I meet gifted young people... I feel the future is in good hands.
In a world of democracies, in a world where the great projects that have set humanity on fire are the projects of the emancipation of individuals from entrenched social division and hierarchy; in such a world individuals must never be puppets or prisoners of the societies or cultures into which they have been born.
What if the counterculture was only a stumbling beginning, rather than the best that could be hoped for?
People who give will never be poor.
The moon and sun are travelers through eternity. Even the years wander on. Whether drifting through life on a boat or climbing toward old age leading a horse, each day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
My father always taught me that when you help other people, then God will give you double. And that's what has really happened to me. When I have helped other people who are in need, God has helped me more.
Try to discover who I am from my choice of words and colors, as attentive people like yourselves might examine footprints to catch a thief.
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