I believe that the entire effort of modern society should be concentrated on the endeavor to outlaw war as a method of the solution of problems between nations.
Douglas MacarthurRead
Our country is now geared to an arms economy bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and an incessant propaganda of fear.
Interpretation
The quote criticizes the mindset that leads a country to prioritize military spending due to fear and propaganda.
Douglas MacArthur's quote reflects on the dangerous mindset within a society that has become conditioned to prioritize an arms economy due to a pervasive culture of fear and war hysteria. This statement suggests that a constant state of anxiety, fueled by propaganda, distorts the national priorities, leading to an overemphasis on militarization and a neglect of peace and constructive social values.
In practice
During a seminar on peacebuilding, this quote could underscore the dangers of militarization in society.
I believe that the entire effort of modern society should be concentrated on the endeavor to outlaw war as a method of the solution of problems between nations.
In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield.
Worry, doubt, fear and despair are the enemies which slowly bring us down to the ground and turn us to dust before we die.
We are not retreating - we are advancing in another direction.
A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.
No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.
It's normal for human beings to identify with their own separate self. The problem is that we get caught in that notion of ourself as a separate individual and caught in that individual self's agenda.
In the autumn of 1929 the mightiest of Americans were, for a brief time, revealed as human beings.
We do not despise all those who have vices, but we do despise those that have no virtue.
To give life a meaning, one must have a purpose larger than self.
And so everything I see in this world, it all moves backward and forward at the same time, like a black-smith's bellows, like everything in my press, turning into its opposite at the command of the red and green buttons, and that's what makes the world go round.
So, is there an afterlife, and if so, what will it be like? I don't have a clue. But I am confident that the one who has buoyed us up in life will also buoy us up through death. We die into God. What more that means, I do not know. But that is all I need to know.
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