paf21.03.2016

The following passage is from the same book as last time.

fm

Civilization?

Hate and armaments surround us. 

The newspapers scream out about murder, violence and scandals. 

And we call ourselves civilized people, cultured people, real

humanitarians. 

And we call ourselves Christians, while

we are busy squashing out the awkward annoying

cross from that same Christianity. 

We no longer feel like making an effort, a sacrifice.

We choose Christianity in an easy chair, with warm

bed and a full larder. We camouflage our finely

developed conceit with superficial, cozy words.

Recently, in the suburbs of Paris, I met a poor Flemish

priest working among the needy. 

In history, he said, we had a period of heroes and of will-power. 

After that, the romantic period. In the nineteenth century,

the time of enlightenment and the intellect. 

Today,we live in the culture of instincts. Yes, of the instincts:

money, sex, violence and consumption’’.