How do you lose a word? Does it vanish into your memory, like an old toy in a cupboard, and lie hidden in the cobwebs and dust, waiting to be cleaned out or rediscovered?
Amitav GhoshRead
I know nothing of this silence except that it lies outside the reach of my intelligence, beyond words - that is why this silence must win, must inevitably defeat me, because it is not a presence at all.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the limitations of human understanding in the face of profound silence and the ineffable.
Amitav Ghosh's quote explores the idea that there are aspects of existence, such as silence, that elude human comprehension and cannot be encapsulated by language or intellect. The speaker acknowledges a sense of defeat when confronted with this silence, suggesting that true understanding may lie beyond the realms of human thought and expression, emphasizing the power and mystery of what is unspoken and ungraspable.
Themes
SilenceUnderstandingIntelligenceIneffablePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a meditation retreat, one might quote this to highlight the role of silence.
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What would it be like if I had something to defend - a home, a country, a family - and I found myself attacked by these ghostly men, these trusting boys? How do you fight an enemy who fights with neither enmity nor anger but in submission to orders from superiors, without protest and without conscience?
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