Even if a unity of faith is not possible, a unity of love is.
Hans Urs Von BalthasarRead
We no longer dare to believe in beauty and we make of it a mere appearance in order the more easily to dispose of it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the diminishing value of beauty in our lives, suggesting that we treat it superficially rather than appreciating its true essence.
Hans Urs Von Balthasar's quote critiques contemporary attitudes towards beauty, arguing that society has relegated beauty to a superficial status, allowing us to dismiss its deeper significance. Instead of embracing beauty as a profound and enriching aspect of life, we reduce it to mere appearances, making it easier to disregard and manipulate in favor of more utilitarian pursuits. This reflects a broader cultural trend of undervaluing genuine experiences in favor of transient or shallow ones.
Themes
BeautyAppearancePhilosophySuperficialitySociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of art and aesthetics in our lives, one might quote Balthasar to illustrate how beauty should be cherished.
More from Hans Urs Von Balthasar
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A truth that is merely handed on, without being thought anew from its very foundations, has lost its vital power.
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The first attempt at a response: there must have been a fall, a decline, and the road to salvation can only be the return of the sensible finite into the intelligible infinite.
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But the saints are never the kind of killjoy spinster aunts who go in for faultfinding and lack all sense of humor. (Nor should the Karl Barth who so loved and understood Mozart be regarded as such.)For humor is a mysterious but unmistakable charism inseparable from Catholic faith, and neither the "progressives" nor the "integralists" seem to possess it - the latter even less than the former.
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