One of the glories and terrors of working in public is that you do see if your output means anything to anyone.
Jenny HolzerRead
BY YOUR RESPONSE TO DANGER IT IS_x000D_ EASY TO TELL HOW YOU HAVE LIVED _x000D_ AND WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO YOU._x000D_ YOU SHOW WHETHER YOU WANT TO STAY ALIVE,_x000D_ WHETHER YOU THINK YOU DESERVE TO,_x000D_ AND WHETHER YOU BELIEVE_x000D_ IT'S ANY GOOD TO ACT.
Interpretation
Our reactions to danger reveal our life experiences, self-worth, and beliefs about action.
This quote by Jenny Holzer suggests that how we respond to threats or challenges in life serves as a reflection of our past experiences, our sense of self-worth, and our belief in the value of taking action. It implies that our fight or flight response not only signifies our instinct for survival but also reveals deeper philosophical truths about our existence and our perceptions of deserving to live and act meaningfully.
In practice
In a motivational speech about resilience during tough times.
One of the glories and terrors of working in public is that you do see if your output means anything to anyone.
I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.
The benevolent have the advantage of the envious, even in this present life; for the envious man is tormented not only by all the ill that befalls himself, but by all the good that happens to another; whereas the benevolent man is the better prepared to bear his own calamities unruffled, from the complacency and serenity he has secured from contemplating the prosperity of all around him.
Generally the officers of the army were indifferent whether the annexation [of Texas] was consummated or not; but not so all of them. For myself, I was bitterly opposed to the measure, and to this day regard the war, which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory.
Praise and blame, good and bad, even heat and cold, must be equally acceptable to us.
"Sincerity is the biggest part of selling anything -- including the Christian plan of salvation.
You were always uncomfortable with the rhetoric of emotion, which is quite a different matter from discomfort with emotion itself.
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