If your community is founded on an injustice, that injustice cannot be questioned. Derrick Jensen More Quotes by Derrick Jensen More Quotes From Derrick Jensen I no longer see Descartes' statement as arbitrary. It is representative of our culture's narcissism. This narcissism leads to a disturbing disrespect for direct experience and a negation of the body. Derrick Jensen arbitrary disrespect culture To reverse the effects of civilization would destroy the dreams of a lot of people. There's no way around it. We can talk all we want about sustainability, but there's a sense in which it doesn't matter that these people's dreams are based on, embedded in, intertwined with, and formed by an inherently destructive economic and social system. Their dreams are still their dreams. What right do I -- or does anyone else -- have to destroy them. At the same time, what right do they have to destroy the world? Derrick Jensen dream civilization people The pretense that humans are superior to nonhumans is entirely unsupportable. I have seen no compelling evidence that humans are particularly more "intelligent" than any other creature. I have had long and fruitful relationshis with many nonhuman animals, both domesticated and wild, and have reveled in the bouquet of radically different intelligences - different forms, not different "quantities" that they have introduced to me, each in his or her own time, in his or her own way. Derrick Jensen intelligent animal long The task we all face as human beings ... is to find and become who we are. The task teachers face is to find their own way of teaching, one that manifests who they are. Derrick Jensen tasks teaching teacher If we wish to stop the atrocities, we need merely to step away from the isolation. There is a whole world waiting for us, ready to welcome us home. Derrick Jensen waiting wish home All writers are propagandists. Derrick Jensen propagandist I think a lot of us are increasingly recognizing that the dominant culture is killing the planet. Derrick Jensen killing culture thinking Have you ever felt love? Derrick Jensen trust love mean From the beginning, this culture - civilization - has been a culture of occupation. Derrick Jensen occupation civilization culture If we celebrate life with all its contradictions, embrace, experience, and ultimately live with it, a chance exists for a spiritual life filled not only with pain and untidiness, but also with joy, community, and creativity. Derrick Jensen pain spiritual life By deafening ourselves to the emotional consequences of violence we have become confused by its relationship to sex. We have come to believe that violence equals aggression, and we have come to base our model of sexuality on our model of violence... converting an act of aggression into an act of consensual sexuality. Derrick Jensen confused believe sex A language Older Than Words Derrick Jensen creativity language understanding I thought a forest was made up entirely of trees, but now I know that the foundation lies below ground, in the fungi. Derrick Jensen foundation tree lying Casey Maddox wrote that when philosophy dies, action begins. I would say in addition that when we stop hoping for external assistance, when we stop hoping that the awful situation we're in will somehow resolve itself, when we stop hoping the situation will somehow not get worse, then we are finally free - truly free - to honestly start working to thoroughly resolve it. I would say when hope dies, action begins. Derrick Jensen awful hope philosophy If any thing can be predicated as universally true of uncultivated man, it is that he will not labour beyond what is absolutely necessary to maintain his existence. Derrick Jensen existence ifs men There is always money to kill people. There is never enough money for life affirming ends. Derrick Jensen ends enough people When we realize the degree of agency we actually do have, we no longer have to "hope" at all. We simply do the work. Derrick Jensen degrees agency hope My great-grandmother grew up in a sod house in Nebraska. When she was a tiny girl - in other words, only four human generations ago - there were still enough wild bison on the Plains that she was afraid lightning storms would spook them and they would trample her home. Derrick Jensen words girl house home My audience consists mainly of people who already recognize how bad this culture is, and I want to push them to become more radical. It doesn't really matter to me if they are Left or Right. Derrick Jensen me matter culture people Maud Gonne was - excuse me, Maud Gonne was central to the Gaelic literature revival. She wrote plays, and she sang. Derrick Jensen she me revival literature
