Change is the sum of the universe, and what is of nature ought not to be feared. But one gives it hostages, and lays one's grief upon the gods. Sokrates is free, and would have taught me freedom. But I have yoked the immortal horse that draws the chariot with a horse of earth; and when the one falls, both are entangled in the traces.
Interpretation
Change is a fundamental part of existence, and it should not be feared. Accepting this can lead to freedom from grief.
This quote reflects on the inevitability of change in the universe and encourages the acceptance of that change, rather than fearing it. It suggests that by clinging to our grief and allowing it to control us, we become trapped, much like binding a celestial horse to an earthly one, thus dragging both into entanglement. The reference to Sokrates indicates an aspiration for true freedom, which involves embracing the nature of change rather than resisting it.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about embracing life's changes.
Do not believe that others will die, not you.... I have wrestled with Thanatos knee to knee and I know how death is vanquished. Man's immortality is not to live forever; for that wish is born of fear. Each moment free from fear makes a man immortal.
One must live as if it would be forever, and as if one might die each moment. Always both at once.
In hatred as in love, we grow like the thing we brood upon. What we loathe, we graft into our very soul.
I thought, There goes my lord, whom I was born to follow. I have found a King. And, I said to myself, looking after him as he walked away, I will have him, if I die for it.
Times change. The vices of your age are stylish today.
You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.
Short of nuclear war itself, population growth is the gravest issue the world faces. If we do not act, the problem will be solved by famine, riots, insurrection and war.
I don't reinvent myself in any major way. It seems to be a slow evolution. I go back and visit certain themes that I feel strongly about and resonate with me emotionally.
I'm really interested in how you create a whole new economy of recycling. It's literally the 'underground economy.' All this stuff that on the surface creates growth and profit, ends up with waste, junk, and CO2. So how do you make it economic to bring new players into the ball game?
Want to change the world? Upset the status quo? This takes more than run-of-the-mill relationships. You need to make people dream the same dream that you do.
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