When I left home after graduating high school, I left as a migrant agricultural worker with a Modern Library edition of Plato in my duffel bag. It sounds kind of crazy, but I loved it. I loved the stuff. Before I knew there was a subject called philosophy, I loved it.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a love for philosophy that transcends formal education, highlighting a passion for learning.
In this quote, Dallas Willard reflects on his journey of self-discovery and the intrinsic love he had for philosophy even before understanding it as a formal subject. By mentioning his background as a migrant agricultural worker, he sheds light on the contrast between his humble beginnings and his intellectual pursuits, suggesting that passion for knowledge can thrive in any circumstance, regardless of one's life situation or educational background.
In practice
In a graduation speech to inspire students to pursue their passions, I might say, 'Remember the words of Dallas Willard, who found love for philosophy even in the most unexpected circumstances.'
The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.
The first act of love is always the giving of attention.
So many people would like to have guidance from God because obviously, if you have a word from God, it's the best possible thing. But they don't relate that to life as a whole. Often they want guidance as a way of opting out of the responsibility of making decisions.
What is truly profound is thought to be stupid and trivial, or worse, boring, while what is actually stupid and trivial is thought to be profound. That is what it means to fly upside down.
The basic question 'will I obey Christ 's teaching?' is rarely taken as a serious issue. For example, to take one of Jesus' commands, that is relevant to contemporary life, I don't know of any church that actually teaches a church how to bless people who curse them, yet this is a clear command.
Few people arise in the morning as hungry for God as they are for cornflakes or toast and eggs.
Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth.
I love to read. I wish I could advise more people to read. There’s a whole new world in books. If you can’t afford to travel, you travel mentally through reading. You can see anything and go any place you want to in reading.
There is an old saying that the course of civilization is a race between catastrophe and education. In a democracy such as ours, we must make sure that education wins the race.
If you think you're boring your audience, go slower not faster.
Every maker of video games knows something that the makers of curriculum don't seem to understand. You'll never see a video game being advertised as being easy. Kids who do not like school will tell you it's not because it's too hard. It's because it's--boring
My denial and irresponsible attitude about asthma put me at great risk and caused me so much needless suffering. My hope is that the kids I talk to learn to open up about their asthma, become educated about their condition, and seek help.
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