Trading and religion have always been aligned together in the history of the world, and especially on the African continent.
Wole SoyinkaRead
Don't take shadows too seriously. Reality is your only safety. Continue to reject illusion.
Interpretation
The quote advises not to be overly concerned with misconceptions or illusory perceptions, emphasizing the importance of facing reality.
Wole Soyinka's quote suggests that one should not be misled by false appearances or fears, which he refers to as 'shadows'. Instead, he stresses that embracing and accepting reality is essential for personal safety and well-being. The call to 'reject illusion' underscores the necessity of seeing the world as it truly is, rather than getting caught up in misleading notions that can distort our understanding and lead to misplaced fears.
In practice
In a discussion about facing fears, this quote can remind us to focus on what is real.
Trading and religion have always been aligned together in the history of the world, and especially on the African continent.
A war, with its attendant human suffering, must, when that evil is unavoidable, be made to fragment more than buildings: It must shatter the foundations of thought and re-create. Only in this way does every individual share in the cataclysm and understand the purpose of sacrifice.
Rwanda, which is one of the younger independent states in Africa, must be regarded as a model of how great human trauma can be transformed to commence true reconstruction of people. Human trauma can lead to stunted growth and mass withdrawal.
I have a kind of magnetic attraction to situations of violence.
Art is solace; art is vision, and when I pick up a literary work, I am a consumer of literature for its own sake.
I'm an Afro-realist. I take what comes, and I do my best to affect what is unacceptable in society.
Sacrifice is truly the crowning test of the gospel. Men are tried and tested in this mortal probation to see if they will put first in their lives the kingdom of God.
The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.
It might not be perfect, but the fundamental stance I adopted with regard to my home was to accept it, problems and all, because it was something I myself had chosen. If it had problems, these were almost certainly problems that had originated within me.
To die will be an awfully big adventure.
The terror of the atom age is not the violence of the new power but the speed of man's adjustment to it, the speed of his acceptance.
Can you nominate in order now the degrees of the lie? I will name you the degrees. The first, the Retort Courteous; the second, the Quip Modest; the third, the Reply Churlish; the fourth, the Reproof Valiant; the fifth; the Countercheck Quarrelsome; the sixth, the Lie with Circumstance; the seventh, the Lie Direct. All these you may avoid but the Lie Direct; and you may avoid that too, with an If. . . . Your If is the only peace-maker; much virtue in If.
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