Quote by James Baldwin

Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeples, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, which is the only fact we have.

Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is

Summary

This quote suggests that the core issue faced by humanity is our willingness to give up the joy and splendor of life by attaching ourselves to various beliefs, rituals, and identities. We create rigid structures such as religions, cultures, and nations to protect ourselves from acknowledging the inevitability of death, the ultimate truth we must face. In doing so, we lose sight of life's beauty and instead confine ourselves within boundaries that separate and divide us. The quote highlights the irony of denying death, the sole certainty we have, and the potential consequences of this denial.

Topics

Death

By James Baldwin

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