The evolution of man is the evolution of his consciousness, and 'consciousness' cannot evolve unconsciously. The evolution of man is the evolution of his will, and 'will' cannot evolve involuntarily.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
Let us take some event in the life of humanity. For instance, war. There is a war going on at the present moment. What does it signify? It signifies that several millions of sleeping people are trying to destroy several millions of other sleeping people. They would not do this, of course, if they were to wake up. Everything that takes place is owing to this sleep.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that the destructive actions of humanity stem from ignorance and a lack of awareness.
In this quote, G. I. Gurdjieff highlights the idea that many conflicts, such as war, arise from a state of ignorance or unawareness among people. He implies that if individuals were fully conscious and aware of their actions and their consequences, they would not engage in destructive behavior against one another. The 'sleep' he refers to symbolizes a lack of understanding and consciousness that leads humanity to harm itself.
Themes
WarHumanityConsciousnessAwarenessIgnorance
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the consequences of conflict, one might say, 'As G. I. Gurdjieff stated, current wars signify the ignorance of humanity's potential for understanding each other.'
More from G. I. Gurdjieff
All quotes →Conscious faith is freedom. Emotional faith is slavery. Mechanical faith is foolishness.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
Remember you come here having already understood the necessity of struggling with yourself — only with yourself. Therefore thank everyone who gives you the opportunity.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
Laughter relieves us of superfluous energy, which, if it remained unused, might become negative, that is, poison. Laughter is the antidote.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
If a man could understand all the horror of the lives of ordinary people who are turning around in a circle of insignificant interests and insignificant aims, if he could understand what they are losing, he would understand that there can only be one thing that is serious for him - to escape from the general law, to be free. What can be serious for a man in prison who is condemned to death? Only one thing: How to save himself, how to escape: nothing else is serious.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
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