In the past few days our little world experienced some turbulence, I would dear and say heavy turbulence,
trying to find its way, searching for a better “identity”.

during this time I have tried to search for guidance, for help in forming my thoughts and feelings, during the research I have “stumbled” upon some essays’ that helped me form my thoughts….

„only individuals have a sense of responsibility.”  Nietzsche


"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of
knowledge."  Stephen Hawking

"One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it You have no certainty, until you try." Sophocles

"Imagination is more important than knowledge, knowledge is limited."  Albert Einstein


I add (extract) one of the most interesting essays I have ever read,
The World As I See It - An essay by Albert Einstein, 1931

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery -- even if mixed with fear -- that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man... I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence -- as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature."


Michael

""The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of
knowledge."  Stephen Hawking"

Very profound words by one person I very much admire.

-P.

While many individuals have differing personal essays in their own "The World As I See It", adding the emotion of anger can simply further bend an illusion of knowledge, the anger comes across better than any other point, people are keen in it's detection.  
Hate is like a useless repairman; called upon in any differing situation, only makes it worse.

An assemblage of hate would be the worst.  DJ's new rules can stop it at the individual.  

Quite a few have mentioned getting to know each other.  

Another Stephen Hawking:

For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk and we learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build the impossible. Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn't have to be like this. Our greatest hopes could become reality in the future. With the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking.
British Telecom advertisement (1993), part of which was used in Pink Floyd's Keep Talking (1994).

"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to deal with it" - Author Unknown

Thank you, Michael, for starting such an interesting thread!

Kevin - brilliant Hawking quote.  

I think a few people have some of these in their signatures, but I do think these are also appropriate:

Martin Luther King:

"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?' "

And Winston Churchill:

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."  

Not particularly profound, certainly, but to the point.

Laurie  

Garys_Girl wrote on Nov 23^rd, 2008 at 10:25pm:

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

I dunno....that one has always hit me as rather profound......and close to home at times as well.

B

I stand corrected.  :)

Laurie