“But human beings fall easily into despair, and from the very beginning we invented stories that enabled us to place our lives in a larger setting, that revealed an underlying pattern, and gave us a sense that, against all the depressing and chaotic evidence to the contrary, life had meaning and value.” HumansStoriesValuesFallHuman BeingsOur LivesDespairEvidencePatternsContrarySettingSettingsDepressingChaotic Book:A Short History Of Myth Source: A Short History Of Myth
“Coming out of the trance of denial is painful. But crises offer us opportunities to rethink our lives. The best thing about despair is that it wakes us up. We can see the world more clearly and open to new possibilities...And we can find new joy in the ordinary.” WorldJoyOpportunityOur LivesPossibilityOffersDespairOrdinaryCrisisPainfulDenialBest ThingsComing OutTranceNew Possibilities Author:Mary Pipher
“The millions currently trapped in poverty and despair are a tremendous untapped resource. Just think of what it would mean for America to gain full use of the talents and abilities of all her people. They would develop new innovations to improve our lives, or help build the next great American company.” PeopleThinkingMeanHelpingUseAmericaNextAbilityCompanyPovertyMillionsOur LivesTalentDespairGainsResourcesInnovationTrappedGreat AmericanTalents And Abilities Author:Marco Rubio
“Myth was regarded as primary; it was concerned with what was thought to be timeless and constant in our existence. Myth looked back to the origins of life, to the foundations of culture, and to the deepest levels of the human mind. Myth was not concerned with practical matters, but with meaning. Unless we find some significance in our lives, we mortal men and women fall very easily into despair. The mythos of a society provided people with a context that made sense of their day-to-day lives; it directed their attention to the eternal and the universal.” PeopleMenMindHumansMadeMatterFallCultureLevelsExistenceAttentionOur LivesAtheismDespairEternalMen And WomenConcernedUniversalFoundationConstantPositive AtheismMythPracticalsMortalsPrimariesSignificanceHuman MindTimelessDay To DayDay LifeOrigin Of LifeDay To Day Life Book:The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism Source: The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism
“We live a pleasant life shopping at the Food Shoppe . . . taking the kids to the Weinery-Beanery, . . . and eating bran flakes . .. and then, with no warning, we wake up one morning stricken with middle age, full of loneliness, dumb, in pain. Our work is useless, our vocation is lost, and nobody cares about us at all. This is not bearable. In despair, we go do something spectacularly dumb, like run away with Amber the cocktail waitress, and suddenly all the women in our life look at us with unmitigated disgust.” LooksCareRunningKidsAgePainLostMorningOur LivesMiddleLonelinessDespairEatingWake UpDumbUselessPleasantWarningShoppingRunning AwayDisgustingVocationMiddle AgesCocktailsAmberWaitressBearableNobody CaresFlakes Author:Garrison Keillor
“To face the realities of our lives is not a reason for despair-despair is a tool of your enemies. Facing the realities of our lives gives us motivation for action. For you are not powerless... You know why the hard questions must be asked. It is not altruism, it is self-preservation-survival.” KnowsGivingSelfHardReasonRealityActionFacesLife IsMotivationEnemyOur LivesDespairSurvivalToolsAltruismPreservationPowerlessSelf PreservationHard Questions Author:Audre Lorde
“In the middle of this despair [of postwar Germany], my family learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint.” WorldMindLooksHeartMadeStillsDifferentLightEyeJoyJesusChristDifferencesChurchSimpleHealingOur LivesMiddleCircumstancesDespairMessagesJesus ChristMy FamilyMiserySaintHorribleGermanyLatterEnlightenedViewpointsLatter DaysSimple TruthsLatter Day SaintsPlain And Simple Author:Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“I am continually trying to find meaning in the world. If we cannot find some ultimate significance or value in our lives, we fall very easily into despair.” IfsWorldTryingValuesFallOur LivesDespairUltimateSignificanceFind Me Author:Karen Armstrong