Human beings are too important to be treated as mere symptoms of the past. They have a value which is independent of any temporal process──which is eternal, and must be felt for its own sake.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the intrinsic value of human beings beyond their historical context.
Lytton Strachey's quote reflects a profound understanding of human worth, suggesting that individuals are not merely results of their past experiences or circumstances. Instead, it posits that every person holds an inherent value that transcends time, insisting that this worth should be recognized and appreciated for what it is, independent of societal perceptions or historical narratives. In doing so, it encourages a more humane and respectful approach to understanding and supporting individuals.
In practice
In a discussion on human rights, this quote can illustrate the importance of recognizing every individual's intrinsic value.
We are often indifferent to our brethren who are distressed or upset, on the grounds that they are in this state through no fault of ours. The Doctor of souls, however, wishing to root out the soul's excuses from the heart, tells us to leave our gift and to be reconciled not only if we happen to be upset by our brother, but also if he is upset by us, whether justly or unjustly; only when we have healed the breach through our apology should we offer our gift.
It had been a humdrum couple of days, reaffirming his belief in reincarnation: everything was so boring that this could not be the first time he'd experienced it.
Few are those who wish to be endowed with virtue rather than to seem so.
Stories serve the purpose of consolidating whatever gains people or their leaders have made or imagine they have made in their existing journey thorough the world.
Wherever people gather for selfless ends, there is a vast augmentation of their individual capacities. Something wonderful, something momentous happens. An irresistible force begins to move, which, though we may not see it, is going to change our world. In this lies the power and the meaning of spiritual companionship.
We're like so many puppets hung on the wall, waiting for someone to come and move us or make us talk.
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