Blessed is the one who has arrived at infinite ignorance.
Evagrius PonticusRead
A monk is a man who considers himself one with all men because he seems constantly to see himself in every man.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the interconnectedness of humanity and the importance of empathy.
Evagrius Ponticus suggests that a monk, who is often associated with contemplation and spiritual understanding, perceives a profound unity with all people. This perspective implies that through self-reflection and awareness, one can recognize their own humanity in others, fostering a greater sense of compassion and connection across society.
In practice
During a lecture on empathy and human connection, this quote can serve as a profound introduction.
History is the fiction we invent to persuade ourselves that events are knowable and that life has order and direction. That's why events are always reinterpreted when values change. We need new versions of history to allow for our current prejudices.
To my astonishment, everything that I had assumed was now questioned by the findings. What started off as a search for identity that appeared to be purely Scottish in origin ended up as a discovery of my migrant roots - indeed an understanding that almost all of our families, at some stage, have been migrants - and my European roots.
IT IS TIME THAT WE ALL SEE GENDER AS A SPECTRUM INSTEAD OF TWO SETS OF OPPOSING IDEALS.
A born king is a very rare being.
When Alex left for Alaska," Franz remembers, "I prayed. I asked God to keep his finger on the shoulder of that one; I told him that boy was special. But he let Alex die. So on December 26, when I learned what happened, I renounced the Lord. I withdrew my church membership and became an atheist. I decided I couldn't believe in a God who would let something that terrible happen to a boy like Alex.
We have decommissioned natural selection and must now look deep within ourselves and decide what we wish to become.
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