We may lose our memory as we get older, but this might not be such a bad thing - who wants to drag a mental junkyard around at a time of life when you're starting to grow interesting little wings?
Michael LeunigRead
Sometimes I wonder if the semi-conscious agenda of the media is to get between people and their souls. It is the the soul with its myriad tiny nerve endings that notices the neglected pathos, poignancy and practicality that lies at the heart of life. It's as if the media are somehow irritated and envious that anonymous people should have the quiet brilliance of their rich and sustainable inner lives.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how media may interfere with genuine human connections and inner lives.
Michael Leunig suggests that the media plays a disruptive role in society by creating a distance between individuals and their deeper emotional experiences. He evokes the idea that genuine human feelings and the richness of life are often overlooked due to the overwhelming presence of media influence, which may provoke envy of the profound inner lives that people lead away from the public eye.
Themes
MediaSoulConnectionInner LifeInfluence
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on social media's impact on mental health, this quote emphasizes the importance of personal emotional experiences over external distractions.
More from Michael Leunig
All quotes →Perhaps life is actually more confusing and unknowable to an adult than a child, but grown-ups have learned to deceive themselves and act as if they understand what's going on; and some are elected to high office on the basis of their ability to create this impression.
Michael LeunigRead
What a magical thing is the bed, and what a vulnerable, innocent creature is the sleeping human - the human who never looks more truthful or pitiful or benign; the curled-up, childlike dreaming soul who has for a few hours become an angel adrift.
Michael LeunigRead
So few humans seem to fully exist themselves that I wonder if all this endless speculation and haggling about God is really an exploration of a more interesting and embarrassing question about ourselves.
Michael LeunigRead
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