Hardy on the delusion of being special. Politicians suffer from it rather badly - as we know but they don't.
There is in us an unquenchable expectation, which at the gloomiest time persists in inferring that because we are ourselves, there must be a special future in store for us, though our nature and antecedents to the remotest particular have been common to thousands.
Thomas Hardy – Desperate Remedies
There is in us an unquenchable expectation, which at the gloomiest time persists in inferring that because we are ourselves, there must be a special future in store for us, though our nature and antecedents to the remotest particular have been common to thousands.
4 comments:
A bit uneasy with this. Hardy had famously gloomy views about unchangeable destiny. We could say with as much truth that we are completely unique, due to nobody else having exactly the same past. It is just that uniqueness is common to all that makes it easily overlooked.
What makes politicians dangerous and/or risible is not their belief in being someone special, which is harmless in itself. It is their belief that the rest of us ought to care about it.
SV - "their belief that the rest of us ought to care about it."
Or just recognise it?
So long as they carry their country with them I don't care where their delusion comes from.
We need one now.
EK - I don't think we'll get one.
Post a Comment