What shapes our lives are the questions we ask, refuse to ask, or never think to ask. Sam Keen More Quotes by Sam Keen More Quotes From Sam Keen I think it's increasingly hard to have deep self-knowledge without entering the darkness in some way. Sam Keen darknessselfthinking The spiritual mind is always metaphorical. Spiritual thinking is poetic thinking. It's always trying to put a very diaphanous experience into words, realizing all the while that words are inadequate. Sam Keen always-tryingspiritualthinking When you genuinely lose your illusions, you begin to marvel at things, because you don't have the answers any more. Sam Keen illusionlosesanswers We now realize that we're not living in a piecemeal world, but a world where everything is linked together. Sam Keen realizingtogetherworld I've spent my life cultivating knowledge of myself. But the more I know myself, the more utterly mysterious I become. Sam Keen cultivatingmysteriousknows Aristotle said that philosophy begins in wonder. I believe it also ends in wonder. The ultimate way in which we relate to the world as something sacred is by renewing our sense of wonder. That's why I'm so opposed to the kind of miracle-mongering we find in both new-age and old-age religion. We're attracted to pseudomiracles only because we've ceased to wonder at the world, at how amazing it is. Sam Keen miraclephilosophybelieve Human beings are what I think of as "biomythic" animals: we're controlled largely by the stories we tell. When we get the story wrong, we get out of harmony with the rest of the natural order. Sam Keen animalorderthinking In the degree that we remember and retell our stories and create new ones we become the authors, the authorities, of our own lives. Sam Keen degreesjourneystories There is a saying in Bali: "We have no art. We do everything as beautifully as possible." This reflects my philosophy of practice. I try to remember daily what a gift it is to have the privilege of living in this wondrous world. Sam Keen practicephilosophyart Being pretty successful, I can, of course, afford some luxuries. But I realize again and again how we have to disillusion ourselves of the idea that these things are going to give us real satisfaction. Sam Keen realsuccessfulideas Freud articulated the standard opinion when he asked with supposed seriousness, 'What does a woman want?'... Today the question that is the yeast in the social dough is, 'What do men want? Sam Keen yeastdoemen To sustain love, a man and a woman must continually be marrying and divorcing, moving with, against, away from, and beyond each other, saying 'yes' and 'no'. Sam Keen saying-yesmenmoving Mounting an expedition to actualize a Compassionate Commonwealth of all peoples...is the great spiritual challenge of our time. Sam Keen compassionspiritualpeace There is no easy formula for determining right and wrong livelihood, but it is essential to keep the question alive. To return the sense of dignity and honor to manhood, we have to stop pretending that we can make a living at something that is trivial or destructive and still have sense of legitimate self-worth. A society in which vocation and job are separated for most people gradually creates an economy that is often devoid of spirit, one that frequently fills our pocketbooks at the cost of emptying our souls. Sam Keen self-worthjobspeople If some incarnation of evil as unambiguous as Hitler appeared again, I would have no moral qualms about killing the enemy. But in the modern world of moral murkiness, I prefer to keep my hands as clean of enemy blood as possible. Sam Keen qualms-abouthandsblood Down to earth advice about the path that leads away from the kingdom of the hollow men. Sam Keen earthadvicemen I try to steer away from high metaphysical belief because I think we humans do best when we realize that we don't know all that much. Sam Keen belieftryingthinking The major impediment to experiencing the sacred depths of ordinary moments is the speed and distraction of contemporary life that moves to the imperatives of the global economic order.In addition, we increasingly live in a virtual world in which our reality is filtered through media and information technology. Sam Keen technologyrealitymoving I think there are families that are very kind and supportive of people's ability to change. People who come from such families may go through life without dipping into the dark night. Sam Keen darknightthinking It's interesting that the worse things get, the more we believe the next technological fix is going to get us out of it. But it's like being in quicksand: the more you struggle the deeper you sink. Sam Keen strugglebelieveinteresting
