The Burning Building

Daria Petrilli

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… Cynicism is not a neutral position — and although it asks almost nothing of us, it is highly infectious and unbelievably destructive…

I know this because much of my early life was spent holding the world and the people in it in contempt. It was a position both seductive and indulgent. The truth is, I was young and had no idea what was coming down the line. I lacked the knowledge, the foresight, the self-awareness… It took a devastation to teach me the preciousness of life and the essential goodness of people. It took a devastation to reveal the precariousness of the world, of its very soul, to understand that it was crying out for help.

It took a devastation to understand the idea of mortal value, and it took a devastation to find hope.

…Hopefulness is not a neutral position either. It is adversarial. It is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism…

~ Nick Cave

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Enlarge the door, Father,

because I can’t pass;

you made it for the children,

I’ve grown up despite my sorrow.

If you don’t widen the door,

Bring me down, for mercy;