In the summer of 1988, my father took me up to look at the remains of our home, the dream house that he'd built. It was my first time since our family left four years earlier. Political and obscene graffiti covered the half-torn walls. There was no ceiling and surprisingly no floor: the parquet, the stone, the marble, all looted.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the irreversible impact of loss and the passage of time.
Rabih Alameddine's quote captures a vivid memory of returning to a once-beloved home, now reduced to ruins by time and circumstance. It illustrates the deep emotional connection we have to places and how loss—whether due to war, politics, or decay—can alter our perceptions and memories. The imagery of the graffiti and the absence of a proper structure symbolizes not only physical destruction but also the erosion of dreams and family bonds, suggesting a poignant reflection on resilience amidst devastation.
In practice
Using this quote during a speech about rebuilding communities after loss.
life's kind of like a painting. A really bizarre, abstract painting. You could look at it and think that all it is, is a blur. And you could continue living your life thinking that all it is, is just a blur. But if you really look at it, really see it, focus on it, and use your imagination, life can become so much more. The painting could be of the sea, the sky, people,buildings, a butterfly on a flower, or anything except the blur you were once convinced it was.
It was life, often unsatisfying, frequently cruel, usually boring, sometimes beautiful, once in a while exhilarating.
I wonder if I shall ever see her again, and I realize that I scarcely care. I can feel the sheets beneath me, and the cold air on my chest. I feel fine. I feel absolutely fine. I feel nothing at all.
...my heart may have been in it but my soul was not.
Don't be on your deathbed someday, having squandered your one chance at life, full of regret because you pursued little distractions instead of big dreams.
I have spent my life waiting for something to happen,’ she said. ‘And I have come to understand that nothing will. Or it already has, and I blinked during that moment and it's gone. I don't know which is worse — to have missed it or to know there is nothing to miss.’ Falling Angels
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.