Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species -- man -- acquired significant power to alter the nature of the world.
Rachel CarsonRead
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.
Interpretation
Focusing on the beauty and realities of the universe helps reduce our destructive tendencies.
This quote by Rachel Carson suggests that by sharpening our awareness and appreciation of the world around us, we cultivate a sense of wonder and connection to the universe, which can steer us away from destructive behaviors. The emphasis is on the idea that understanding and valuing the beauty of nature promotes a more harmonious existence, thereby reducing our inclination to harm it or ourselves.
In practice
During a speech about environmental conservation, one might quote this to inspire others to appreciate nature.
Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species -- man -- acquired significant power to alter the nature of the world.
As crude a weapon as the cave man's club, the chemical barrage has been hurled against the fabric of life - a fabric on the one hand delicate and destructible, on the other miraculously tough and resilient, and capable of striking back in unexpected ways. These extraordinary capacities of life have been ignored by the practitioners of chemical control who have brought to their task no "high-minded orientation," no humility before the vast forces with which they tamper.
Why should we tolerate a diet of weak poisons, a home in insipid surroundings, a circle of acquaintances who are not quite our enemies, the noise of motors with just enough relief to prevent insanity? Who would want to live in a world which is just not quite fatal?
To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.
We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature.
Until we have courage to recognize cruelty for what it is - whether its victim is human or animal - we cannot expect things to be much better in the world. There can be no double standard. We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing, we set back the progress of humanity.
Because every portion of the body, mind, and spirit yearns for the integration of yin and yang, angelic intercourse is led by the spirit rather than the sexual organs. . . . Where ordinary intercourse unites sex organs with sex organs, angelic cultivation unites spirit with spirit, mind with mind, and every cell of one body with every cell of the other body.
It is only about things that do not interest one that one can give a really unbiased opinion, which is no doubt the reason why an unbiased opinion is always absolutely valueless.
The majority represent a mass of cowards, willing to accept him who mirror its own soul and mind poverty.
The social intuitionist model offers an explanation of why moral and political arguments are so frustrating: because moral reasons are the tail wagged by the intuitive dog. A dog’s tail wags to communicate. You can’t make a dog happy by forcibly wagging its tail. And you can’t change people’s minds by utterly refuting their arguments.
People like eccentrics. Therefore they will leave me alone, saying that I am a mad clown.
But lost chances are as much a part of life as chances taken, and a story cannot dwell on what might have been.
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