Monday, September 26, 2005

Installment Nineteen...

I want to overhear passionate arguments about what we are and what we are doing and what we ought to do. I want to feel that art is an utterance made in good faith by one human being to another. I want to believe there are geniuses scheming to astonish the rest of us, just for the pleasure of it. I miss civilization, and I want it back.

- Marilynne Robinson, The Death of Adam

5 comments:

Eucharisto said...

That's the best quote I've heard in a really long time. It totally brings the problem in our generation to a point. Isn't it amazing how one quote in 30 seconds can sum up the frustrations and longings many people feel in a lifetime? By the way, is this from a book, essay, or what?
Oh, and did you get my email?

Meiska said...

I miss civilization too. The people who can cause this to change are the ones who feel this way, we have to try show others what they are missing out on, then surely they would want it back too.

Great quote, makes me want to read something written by her. Thanks for posting it.

Meiska said...

I'm here in the cafeteria and I am NOT over-hearing passionate arguments about anything pleasant, that should prove the point of the quote quite splendidly. ('Splendid' is one of my most favorite words!)The End.

Tuesday's Child said...

Oh don't get me started! I've been thinking about this morn, noon and night lately. Most modern life is so meaningless, and I want to live radically. One of the profs at Oxbridge said you can't really reflect Christ until you're fully human, and to me that's what this quote is about. There's so little depth of thought and life, very little humanity as God meant it to be.

Queen Mum said...

Amen to all the above. Some are just better at putting it into words.