The only thing in the world worth a damn is the strange, touching, pathetic, awesome nobility of the individual human spirit.
John D. MacdonaldRead
At times it seems as if arranging to have no commitment of any kind to anyone would be a special freedom. But in fact the whole idea works in reverse. The most deadly commitment of all is to be committed only to one's self. Some come to realize this after they are in the nursing home.
Interpretation
Self-centeredness often leads to a hollow existence, revealing the importance of meaningful commitments to others.
The quote by John D. Macdonald suggests that while the notion of being free from all commitments may appear liberating, it ultimately creates a deeper isolation. True fulfillment comes from engaging with and committing to others, as living solely for oneself can lead to regret and loneliness, a realization that some only face later in life.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the value of community during a conference on relationships.
Good books tell the truth, even when they're about things that never have been and never will be. They're truthful in a different way
How do we see physically? No differently that we do in our consciousness - by means of the productive power of imagination. Consciousness is the eye and ear, the sense for inner and outer meaning.
Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling.
Is it freedom to be a slave to the senses, to anger, to jealousies and a hundred other petty things that must occur every day in human life?
How are we going to make our livings in a society becoming increasingly jobless because of hi-tech and outsourcing? Where will we get the imagination to recognize that for most of human history the concept of Jobs didn't even exist? Work, as distinguished from Labor, was done to produce needed goods and services, develop skills and artistry, and nurture cooperation.
It is not in giving life but in risking life that man is raised above the animal; that is why superiority has been accorded in humanity not to the sex that brings forth but to that which kills.
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