Flat World Quote

[Fredl]

Just finished up "The World is Flat". I'd like to post a quote from near the end: "In societies that have more memories than dreams, too many people are spending too many days looking backwards. They see dignity, affirmation and self-worth not by mining the present but by chewing on the past. And even that is usually not a real past but an imagined and adorned past. Indeed, such societies focus all their imagination on making that imagined past even more beautiful than it ever was and they cling to it like a rosary or a strand of worry beads rather than imagining a better future and acting on that."

I suspect that Friedman was thinking primarily of the World of Islam when he wrote this but, by golly, it sure doesn't strike me as a ringing endorsement of the "World of Mormon" either. Obviously, Islam is much further along in its decline than Mormonism, but, to me, it suffers from this very same root cause of decline as Islam.

Fred

[peter_mary]

"In societies that have more memories than dreams, too many people are spending too many days looking backwards. They see dignity, affirmation and self-worth not by mining the present but by chewing on the past. And even that is usually not a real past but an imagined and adorned past. Indeed, such societies focus all their imagination on making that imagined past even more beautiful than it ever was and they cling to it like a rosary or a strand of worry beads rather than imagining a better future and acting on that."
Fred

That's wisdom for the ages, if you ask me. Man...can I relate. I worry at times that my PostMo journey has focused too much on the past. While I believe there is great value in understanding my past, still, it is past...it becomes a burden if I insist on lugging the whole thing around with me forever.

This is not limited to my experience with Mormonism. I think I have a tendency to dwell on past experiences to excuse myself from launching a dream in all areas of my life. Too much responsibility...too many demands...too much risk...all of these are informed by memory rather than dreams.

Thanks for the reminder, Fredl...

Peter_Mary

::lays down for afternoon "dreaming" nap::

[Fredl]

Why, thanks, Peter. I hadn't really thought about its relevance for individuals. In my case, I started thinking about the story that we are in some sort of "Last Days" and the frequent interpretation of current events as proof of this view. I think this has a way of diverting energy that would be better spent in making the world better into creating some sort of personal perfection that has little relevance for the world that we live in. I am struck, for example, by the charitable work of Bill Gates and how it contrasts with the charitable work of the LDS Church. Bill appears to believe that the world we all share has a pretty long way to go. I share that view.

Fred