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J. Watson's avatar

Always so excellent. I may be using your letters as weekly discussion points with a high school literature class, if that seems appropriate to you?. Thank you!

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Philosophors's avatar

That would be great!

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Guillermo Hinojosa's avatar

Very good idea.

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larry smead's avatar

Wow......

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Guillermo Hinojosa's avatar

Excelent quote from E. M. Forster. Thank you.

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Louise (lu) Croese's avatar

In a world shadowed by fear and loss, how can individuals remain open to wonder and fairness without succumbing to despair, and what inner resources must they cultivate to do so without retreating into denial?

I suggest that Hope (remaining open to wonder and fairness without succumbing to despair) is like an act of Faith, overcoming doubt. Conscious acts of Faith, Hope and Love; overcoming doubt, despair and fear (over and over, every time I’m challenged to surrender to the dark forces of evil over goodness, darkness over light, fear over love). It is a choice, to believe in the light, to be seen. The alternative, is to become the darkness.

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Andorean Esnomeo's avatar

Aye. It is a choice! And one that requires resources of knowledge and learning. Well. The average American adult reads at 7th grade level. Tragic.

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Louise (lu) Croese's avatar

Thanks for your reply 💐 I would argue that ‘wisdom’ / ‘personal insight’ is different to ‘learning/knowledge’ and is available to all who seek to Understand - in deed, if everything I learned and think I know is the likely reason I suffer, the less knowledge gained could be an advantage in the pursuit of personal insight/Awareness.

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Andorean Esnomeo's avatar

Oh but I love the excitement of finding out when I am wrong! Understanding is a rush. The gift that never stops giving.

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Louise (lu) Croese's avatar

Agreed 😀

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Virginia Marguerite Junkin's avatar

Got anything from women???

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Andorean Esnomeo's avatar

Oh my! Excellent, every one - but especially Gurdjieff. We have done a poor job of education, and the will to slavery is again growing stronger.

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Chitra Sethi's avatar

Quote #1,by Tolkien,it is true that world is full of shadows of grief and fear ,simultaneously at the same time there is love and fairness that coexist s ,but it is also very hard to stay happy for someone who is hit hard with grief causing depression.Some one with a strong will who has trust in his inner self can analyze the situation and overcome their grief in the view of impermanence ,hence letting it go.

Quote #2 by Schweitzer,it is true that in the present day world where liars and politicians have created a society that is full of hate ,human beings divided into two groups one hates the others ,so in these two groups one for & other against,people becoming conditioned to behave with prejudice ,loosing their moral boundaries.Quote #3,Without knowing a person’s true inner self and understanding and knowledge of their true identity,that person cannot function well and cannot be free , becomes a slave of people who are dictating him .

Quote #5,It is well known that through art one can make a controversial picture without humiliating the person in the picture. on the other hand men can make the other men feel small by so many wrong ways .

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Andorean Esnomeo's avatar

As to Schweitzer - in the case of humans and most creatures we know, this is not a novel phenomenon - it is primordial programming. That is the magnitude of the challenge for sentience itself: to recognize itself in others - the Great Convergence. It is a choice, not a given.

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