So, the world happens twice--_x000D_ once what we see it as;_x000D_ second it legends itself_x000D_ deep, the way it is.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that our perception of the world is just one aspect of its existence; the reality of the world is deeper and shaped by its own narrative.
William Stafford's quote expresses the duality of human perception and the intrinsic nature of reality. It implies that while we interpret and understand the world through our experiences and senses, there exists a deeper, more profound truth that the world embodies independently of our perceptions. This layered understanding invites us to reflect on how we engage with reality, realizing that our interpretations are merely a surface view of a more complex existence.
In practice
A speaker discussing the nature of reality at a philosophy conference.
I keep following this sort of hidden river of my life, you know, whatever the topic or impulse which comes, I follow it along trustingly. And I don't have any sense of its coming to a kind of crescendo, or of its petering out either. It is just going steadily along.
They miss the whisper that runs any day in your mind, "Who are you really, wanderer?"-- and the answer you have to give no matter how dark and cold the world around you is: "Maybe I'm a king.
A speech is something you say so as to distract attention from what you do not say.
The things you do not have to say make you rich. Saying things you do not have to say weakens your talk. Hearing things you do not need to hear dulls your hearing. And things you know before you hear them β those are you, those are why you are in the world.
A poem is a serious joke, a truth that has learned jujitsu.
The earth says have a place, be what that place_x000D_ requires; hear the sound the birds imply_x000D_ and see as deep as ridges go behind_x000D_ each other.
The Christian - the biblical - concept of mercy toward wrongdoers only exists in relation to justice. Showing mercy, in relation to wrongdoing, means treating someone better than they deserve.
The desire to sacrifice an entire lifetime to the noblest of ideals serves no purpose if one works alone.
I'm homosexual. How and why are idle questions. It's a little like wanting to know why my eyes are green.
It is through generous giving, that we affirm before the world, our nation's faith in the inalienable right of every man, to a life of freedom, justice and security.
Things are never as bad or as good as they seem.
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown Till human voices wake us... and we drown.
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