why do we go through the struggle to be educated?
is it merely in order to pass some examinations and get a job?
or is it the function of education to prepare us while we are young
to understand the whole process of life?
surely, life is not merely a job, an occupation
life is wide and profound, it is a great mystery.
a vast realm in which we function as human beings.
the person who has tincture of philosophy goes through life imprisoned
in the prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of their age or their nation,
and from convictions which have grown up in their mind
without the cooperation or consent of their deliberate reason.
philosophy will not fatten our purses.
for what if we should fatten our purses, or rise to high office,
and yet all the while remain ignorantly naive, coarsely unfurnished in the mind,
brutal in behavior, unstable in character, chaotic in desire, and blindly miserable?
our culture is superficial today
and our knowledge dangerous
because we are rich in mechanisms and poor in purposes.
we move about the earth with unprecedented speed,
but we do not know, have not thought
where we are going, or whether we shall find any happiness there for our harassed souls.
we are being destroyed by our knowledge,
which has made us drunk with our power.
and we shall not be saved without wisdom.
retiro park
close the door.
write with no one looking over your shoulder.
don't try to figure out what people want to hear from you;
figure out what you have to say.
it's the one and only thing you have to offer.
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