To see God is the one goal. Power is not the goal.
Swami VivekanandaRead
It has long been known to me that certain objects want you as much as you want them. These are the ones that become important, the objects that you hold dear. The others fade from your life entirely. You wanted them, but they did not want you in return.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the reciprocal nature of desire and attachment towards objects or relationships.
Sheila Heti suggests that the significance of objects in our lives is often determined by a mutual desire. When something holds importance to us, it's usually because it reciprocates our affection and attention; in contrast, those that do not share this connection tend to be forgotten or fade away.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about materialism at a philosophy class.
To see God is the one goal. Power is not the goal.
Wait a minute! Wait a minute! I figured this out. I know what's wrong with what we've done in Iraq. We've been following time as it goes forward. What a classic mistake. Linear time is so pre-9-11.
When deeds and words are in accord, the whole world is transformed.
I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms.
We don’t attach to things; we attach to our stories about them.
Power is the chance to impose your will within a social context, even when opposed and regardless of the integrity of that chance.
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