Why this sudden bewilderment, this confusion? (How serious people's faces have become.) Why are the streets and squares emptying so rapidly, everyone going home lost in thought? Because night has fallen and the barbarians haven't come. And some of our men who have just returned from the border say there are no barbarians any longer. Now what's going to happen to us without barbarians? Those people were a kind of solution.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The community is confused because the anticipated crisis or enemy that gave them purpose has not arrived.
- In plain terms
- Everyone is worried because the barbarians never showed up.
- What can you take from it?
- External threats sometimes provide a sense of unity or purpose.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What gives your life urgency?
- How do you find meaning without opposition?
Another view
It assumes people rely on enemies for meaning rather than internal goals.
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