Quote by Thomas Merton

We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every nerve in the human body and keep it at the highest pitch of artificial tension, to strain every human desire to the limit and create as many new desires and synthetic passions as possible, in order to cater to them with the products of our factories and printing presses and movie studios and all the rest.

We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every n

Summary

This quote highlights the nature of consumer-driven societies, where the objective is to constantly stimulate and manipulate human desires. The society described aims to maintain an artificial state of tension in individuals, perpetuating a cycle of craving for new products and experiences. It emphasizes the role of various industries in manufacturing these desires and fulfilling them through mass production and entertainment mediums. Ultimately, the quote criticizes the societal structure that sustains and thrives on the perpetual creation and consumption of materialistic desires.

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By Thomas Merton

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