No great deed, private or public, has ever been undertaken in a bliss of certainty.
Leon WieseltierRead
Here is a humanist proposition for the age of Google: The processing of information is not the highest aim to which the human spirit can aspire, and neither is competitiveness in a global economy. The character of our society cannot be determined by engineers.
Interpretation
Human connection and values surpass mere information processing and competition.
Leon Wieseltier's quote critiques the modern focus on technology and competition, suggesting that the true essence of humanity lies beyond information processing and economic competitiveness. He emphasizes that the moral and ethical character of society cannot solely be dictated by technological advancements or engineering but is rooted in deeper human values and connections.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of ethical considerations in technology development.
No great deed, private or public, has ever been undertaken in a bliss of certainty.
The impulse to cruelty is, in many people, almost as violent as the impulse to sexual love - almost as violent and much more mischievous.
People can't seem to get it through their heads that there is never any healing or closure. Ever. There is only a short pause before the next "horrifying" event. People forget there is such a thing as memory, and that when a wound "heals" it leaves a permanent scar that never goes away, but merely fades a little. What really ought to be said after one of these so-called tragedies is, "Let the scarring begin.
Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, Some of them are things people are scared of. Some of them are things that look like things people used to be scared of a long time ago. Sometimes monsters are things people should be scared of, but they aren't.
We must learn to talk with each other, and we mutually must understand and accept one another in our extraordinary differences.
When all the Self was conquered and dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, the innermost of Being that is no longer Self - the great secret!
The demands that good people make are upon themselves; Those that bad people make are upon others.
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