OPIATE, n. An unlocked door in the prison of Identity. It leads into the jail yard.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that the concept of identity can be restrictive, yet the idea of an 'opiate' offers a means of escape or a different perspective.
Ambrose Bierce's quote presents 'opiate' as a metaphor for an unlocked door that provides an escape from the confines of one's identity. The reference to a 'prison' emphasizes the notion that identity can be a limiting factor, often constraining individuals to societal expectations or self-imposed definitions. The 'jail yard' symbolizes freedom outside of these confines, illustrating that through the lens of an opiate—whether viewed as a substance or an idea—one can find moments of liberation from the rigidities of identity.
In practice
In a discussion about the nature of self, this quote can highlight the paradox of identity.
PALM, n. A species of tree . . . of which the familiar "itching palm" ("Palma hominis") is most widely distributed . . . . This noble vegetable exudes a kind of invisible gum, which may be detected by applying to the bark a piece of gold or silver.
Human nature is pretty well balanced; for every lacking virtue there is a rough substitute that will serve at a pinch--as cunning is the wisdom of the unwise, and ferocity the courage of the coward.
Indigestion: A disease which the patient and his friends frequently mistake for deep religious conviction and concern for the salvation of mankind. As the simple Red Man of the Western Wild put it, with, it must be confessed, a certain force: 'Plenty well, no pray; big belly ache, heap God.'
Disobey n:To celebrate with an appropriate ceremony the maturity of a command
NOUMENON, n. That which exists, as distinguished from that which merely seems to exist, the latter being a phenomenon. The noumenon is a bit difficult to locate; it can be apprehended only by a process of reasoning - which is a phenomenon.
PARDON, v. To remit a penalty and restore to the life of crime. To add to the lure of crime the temptation of ingratitude.
Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.
The Lord is greater than all: I have said enough.
But an old age serene and bright, and lovely as a Lapland night, shall lead thee to thy grave.
He had heard people speak contemptuously of money: he wondered if they had ever tried to do without it.
Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
The environment is everything that isn't me.
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