Smart people: What does this quote say to you spiritually?

Question

It is difficult to resist the conclusion that 20th century man has decided to abolish himself, tired of the struggle to be himself, he has created boredom out of his own affluence, impotence out of his own erotomania and vulnerability out of his own strength. He himself blows the trumpet that brings the walls of his own cities crashing down, until at last having educated himself into imbecility, having drugged and polluted himself into stupefaction he keels over a weary old Brontosaurus and becomes extinct.

Vocabulary HELP:

affluence = A plentiful supply of material goods; wealth

impotence = the quality of lacking strength or power;

imbicility = Great stupidity or foolishness

erotomania = abnormally strong or persistant sexual desire

stupefaction = the state of being unable to think clearly because of tiredness or boredom

Answer 1

Favorite Answer

20th Century: 1900's

Boredom out of affluence: when you have goods, services and resources that save you time, you have the opportunity to be bored.

Impotence out of erotomania: Performance issues when sex is on the brain, images are more accessible, and women's clothing is more revealing. Sexual revolution in the mid-1900's (1960's etc)

Vulnerability out of strength: Over-confidence and/or dependence on the ones who serve you. You then lose the skills to help yourself.

Blows the trumpet etc: Those in power cause the city's downfall, often with initially good intentions. But power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Educated to imbecile: One who mistakes book smarts for street smarts and real-world skills.

Drugged/ polluted/ to Brontosaurus etc: With all of our wisdom, we still choose to kill ourselves at various rates with the substances that we harvest or produce.

Answer 2

Im not religious in the least I am however spiritual and greatly aware that there is indeed a God. Those who deny the existence of a creator are severely blinded to the beauty of this world and all the wonderful creations made by God. I don't believe in hell at all. I think God loves us and wants us to learn from one another. To learn acceptance and humility. I believe judging others is the worst thing one can do. Each person is unique and beautiful. And I thank God for allowing me to progress on this Earth spiritually.

Answer 3

I think genuinely smart people wouldn't need the vocab cheat sheet.

The quote may have a nugget of truth, but the writer seems to be more interested in flaunting the vocab he learned in a PSAT prep course than being poignant.

Source(s): All those words are used in the PSAT you take when you're 14-15.

Answer 4

just another person whining on about how things weren't as good as they used to be. I happen to like affluence, idle pleasures, and easy access to porn that the 20th century brought us.

And "vulnerability out of his own strength" is the kind of statement that sounds poetic but without explanation is just pissing in the wind

Answer 5

If you're only addressing "smart" people, why are you adding vocabulary help...?

What does this "smart" person say here? Some Creationist wrote it, judging by the last sentence, and that makes the entire quote complete bullsh**.

╔═════════════════════════════════════

║Those who regard a freedom from the false morals and obsolete

║practices regarding sex or religion as debauched are doing naught

║but corrupting their minds with foolishness.

║

║My morals come from compassion; my compassion from

║understanding. And I seek to know and understand... everything.

╚═════════════════════════════════════

Answer 6

Modernity has given man the power to willfully forsake himself.

Answer 7

By insisting that moral judgment is impossible (equating virtue and vice), modern man is nowhere near what humans should be and once were striving to attain.

Seems clear to me.

Answer 8

You must be expecting some stupid answerers if you have to put up a word help.

Answer 9

That pretty much sums me up as a person.

Answer 10

Regardless of whom you are and what you freely choose to fill your life with, in the end we all die the same.