I do not believe it is man's destiny to compress this once boundless earth into a small neighborhood, the better to destroy it. Nor do I believe it is in the nature of man to strike eternally at the image of himself, and therefore of God. I profoundly believe that there is on this horizon, as yet only dimly perceived, a new dawn of conscience. In that purer light, people will come to see themselves in each other, which is to say they will make themselves known to one another by their similarities rather than by their differences. Man's knowledge of things will begin to be matched by man's knowledge of self. The significance of a smaller world will be measured not in terms of military advantage, but in terms of advantage for the human community. It will be the triumph of the heartbeat over the drumbeat. These are my beliefs and I hold them deeply, but they would be without any inner meaning for me unless I felt that they were also the deep beliefs of human beings everywhere. And the proof of this, to my mind, is the very existence of the United Nations.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Expresses hope for a future where humanity values cooperation over destruction and similarity over division.
- In plain terms
- Humans will eventually stop fighting each other and realize we are more alike than different.
- What can you take from it?
- Trust in a future where empathy replaces conflict.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do you believe humanity is improving?
- What does conscience mean to you?
Another view
Optimism about human nature may ignore persistent patterns of violence.
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