4 ms·
> your impact as an individual is limited People such as Solzhenitsyn prove that your impact as an individual can be staggeringly large. Individuals can shift
by Spinnaker_ 5y ago
> your impact as an individual is limited
People such as Solzhenitsyn prove that your impact as an individual can be staggeringly large. Individuals can shift the course of nations and effect the lives of hundreds of millions.
> ignores the reality that you have no weapons with which to fight
Again, Solzhenitsyn proves that you have the written word and it can be an extremely effective weapon.
> there's not much you can feasibly do other than watch it
You should really read a bit about this Solzhenitsyn fella for some counter examples. But of course very few individuals are willing to bear the burden it entails.
- angelzen 5y agoOn dark days, I don't know. For every Solzhenitsyn there are thousands if not millions of anonymous souls forced into the wastelands of Siberia with only the shirts on their backs to keep them warm and fed over the unforgiving winter. Solzhenitsyn himself was one of them, and only a long string of miraculous happenstances turned him into a pivotal character. The forces of history were looking for a vessel. This perhaps is a reminder to pour a drop of wine in memory of those who didn't make it.
- pc2g4d 5y agoIf participating in a society-wide delusion is killing your soul, then refusing to participate in it is spiritual life. Giving your energy to a system you abhor, to sustain values you reject, to benefit people you oppose, for many people becomes more costly than the opprobrium, lost income, loss of status, etc. that can result from refusing to repeat the lies. It's not even necessarily about changing the world. It's about living in a way that gives you peace and inner freedom. The essay calls it "spiritual independence".