It is in books, poems, paintings which often give us the confidence to take seriously feelings in ourselves that we might otherwise never have thought to acknowledge.
Alain De BottonRead
Religions have always been clearly on to this psycho-therapeutic score. For hundreds of years in the West, Christian art had a very clear function: it was meant to direct us towards the good and wean us off vice.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the purpose of religion and art in guiding people towards virtue.
Alain De Botton emphasizes the historical role of religion and Christian art in society as tools for personal growth and moral guidance. He suggests that these influences serve to lead individuals towards positive behavior and away from negative tendencies, illustrating the interconnectedness of spirituality and psychology in fostering a better human experience.
In practice
In a lecture on the impact of art on society, one could reference this quote to discuss the intersection of faith and expression.
It is in books, poems, paintings which often give us the confidence to take seriously feelings in ourselves that we might otherwise never have thought to acknowledge.
Taking architecture seriously therefore makes some singular and strenuous demands upon us...It means conceding that we are inconveniently vulnerable to the colour of our wallpaper and that our sense of purpose may be derailed by an unfortunate bedspread
The more closely we analyze what we consider 'sexy,' the more clearly we will understand that eroticism is the feeling of excitement we experience at finding another human being who shares our values and our sense of the meaning of existence.
Good books put a finger on emotions that are deeply our own - but that we could never have described on our own.
The challenge of modern relationships: how to prove more interesting than the other's smartphone.
It is the most ambitious and driven among us who are the most sorely in need of having our reckless hopes dampened through immersive dousings in the darkness which religions have explored. This is a particular priority for secular Americans, perhaps the most anxious and disappointed people on earth, for their nation infuses them with the most extreme hopes about what they may be able to achieve in their working lives and relationships.
The world is a fabric we weave daily on the great looms of information, discussions, films, books, gossip, little anecdotes.
I believe that nothing comes of nothing, even in Shakespeare. I wanted to know where he got the matter he was working with and what he did with that matter.
Passion is what gives sense to our life.
Everyone, left to his own devices, forms an idea about what goes on in language which is very far from the truth.
I used to get the feeling, and sometimes I still get it, that I was fooling somebody - I don't know who or what - maybe myself. I have feelings some days where there are scenes with a lot of responsibility, and I'll wish, 'Gee, if only I had been a cleaning woman.'
And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people as one of many hoops that made one circle.
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