There's something really beautiful about science, that human beings can ask these questions and can answer them. You can make models of nature and understand how it works.
Margaret GellerRead
Hunger, inadequate medical care, poor housing, and inferior schools are enemies of the sense of wonder. It is easier and less expensive in the long run to prevent a loss of imagination by providing adequate nutrition, housing, medical care, and schooling than it is to try to restore that loss.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Addressing basic needs fosters imagination and creativity.
This quote emphasizes that fundamental societal issues such as hunger, lack of medical care, inadequate housing, and poor educational systems actively harm our ability to imagine and wonder. Geller argues that investing in these basic needs is not only morally imperative but also economically wise, as it is far more cost-effective to provide these essentials than to attempt to revive the lost creativity and imagination later.
Themes
HungerEducationImaginationHealthcareHousing
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community development, one could emphasize the importance of supplying basic needs to help children thrive.
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