. . . More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheeps or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Not only for themselves but for those who call them friend? For so this whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the power of prayer and the importance of seeking divine connection not just for oneself, but for others as well.
Alfred Lord Tennyson's quote emphasizes the profound impact that prayer can have on our lives and the world around us. It suggests that while many may underestimate the significance of prayer, it can achieve more than we can imagine. Moreover, it calls for a collective spiritual connection, urging individuals to pray not only for personal needs but also for friends and humanity as a whole. The imagery of being bound by 'gold chains' signifies how deeply interconnected we are through our spiritual ties to the divine.
In practice
In a discussion about faith, one might use this quote to underscore the importance of communal prayer.
Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark! And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark; For though from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar.
How many a father have I seen, A sober man, among his boys, Whose youth was full of foolish noise.
O Love! what hours were thine and mine, In lands of palm and southern pine; In lands of palm, of orange-blossom, Of olive, aloe, and maize and vine!
Earth is dry to the centre,_x000D_ But spring, a new comer,_x000D_ A spring rich and strange,_x000D_ Shall make the winds blow_x000D_ Round and round,_x000D_ Thro' and thro',_x000D_ Here and there,_x000D_ Till the air_x000D_ And the ground_x000D_ Shall be fill'd with life anew.
O love, O fire! once he drew With one long kiss my whole soul through My lips, as sunlight drinketh dew.
But thy strong Hours indignant work’d their wills, And beat me down and marr’d and wasted me, And tho’ they could not end me, left me maim’d To dwell in presence of immortal youth, Immortal age beside immortal youth, And all I was, in ashes. - Tithonus
I will always be an advocate in terms of wars of necessity. I am just much more cautious on wars of choice.
This is a mad planet," David Bowie said in 1971. "It's doomed to madness.
But you are involved in the world, and your actions have consequences for other people, and if you don't recognize that, then that's the supreme kind of cruelty. Everyone shares someone else's fate to some extent.
We are all members of the same flawed species. Putting our moral vision into practice means imposing our will on others. The human lust for power and esteem, coupled with its vulnerability to self-deception and self-righteousness, makes that an invitation to a calamity, all the worse when the power is directed at a goal as quixotic as eradicating human self-interest.
Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as an enlightened person. There is only enlightened activity.
Moral precepts are constant through the ages and not obedient to circumstances.
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