Jump off. You are a protected individual. Do not fear.
Henry MillerRead
Out yonder they may curse, revile, and torture one another, defile all the human instincts, make a shambles of creation (if it were in their power), but here, no, here, it is unthinkable, here there is abiding peace, the peace of God, and the serene security created by a handful of good neighbors living at one with the creature world.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the contrast between chaos in the outside world and the tranquility found within a supportive community.
Henry Miller reflects on the notion that while the broader world may be filled with conflict and negativity, there exists a profound peace in a community of good neighbors. This peace not only represents a sense of security and harmony among people but also emphasizes a connection to nature, suggesting that personal relationships foster a sanctuary in an otherwise tumultuous existence.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a community meeting to highlight the importance of neighborly support.
Jump off. You are a protected individual. Do not fear.
I saw through to the last sign and symbol, but I could not read her face. I could see only the eyes shining through, huge, fleshy-like luminous beasts, as though I were swimming behind them in the electric effluvia of her incandescent vision.
The essential thing is to WANT to sing. This then is a song. I am singing.
Great God! What have I turned into? What right have you people to clutter up my life, steal my time, probe my soul, suckle my thoughts, have me for your companion, confidant, and information bureau? What do you take me for? Am I an entertainer on salary, required every evening to play an intellectual farce under your stupid noses? Am I a slave, bought and paid for, to crawl on my belly in front of you idlers and lay at your feet all that I do and all that I know?
We are swimming on the face of time and all else has drowned, is drowning, or will drown.
To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not necessary to have an accordion, or a guitar. The essential thing is to want to sing. This then is a song. I am singing.
The basis for peace is respecting all creatures.
We desire the good of the world and the happiness of the nations that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened... what harm is there in this?... these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come.
Here's a notion: Peace in the Middle East would come about more easily if the region were governed by women.
The challenge of preventing any further proliferation of nuclear weapons is just such a trial in the quest for world peace, one that cannot be achieved if we are defeated by a sense of helplessness. The crucial element is to ensure that any struggle against evil is rooted firmly in a consciousness of the unity of the human family, something only gained through the mastery of our own inner contradictions.
The basis of world peace is the teaching which runs through almost all the great religions of the world. Love thy neighbor as thyself.
I regard myself as a soldier, though a soldier of peace.
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