A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
Materialism is in fact no protection. Those who seek it in that hope (they are not a negligible class) will be disappointed. The thing you fear is impossible. Well and good. Can you therefore cease to fear it? Not here and now. And what then? If you must see ghosts, it is better not to disbelieve in them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Material wealth does not guarantee safety or happiness, and fearing the unknown is a common human experience.
C. S. Lewis reflects on the futility of seeking materialism as a safeguard against life's uncertainties. He asserts that the pursuit of material things cannot truly protect us and suggests that embracing our fears, rather than dismissing them, may lead to a more profound understanding of our existence and the nature of our fears.
Themes
MaterialismFearDisappointmentExistenceGhosts
In practice
Example use cases
A public speech on the pitfalls of consumerism and the importance of confronting our fears.
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
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