Carolina QuotesWe … wish especially to outline the conditions for entering a future that will lead to the larger fulfillment for which the entire planet, as well as ourselves, seems to be destined. The first condition for achieving this objective is to realize that the universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects.
Thomas Berry Carolinian
Source
Chapter 1, p. 17
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- Evening Thoughts
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- p. 17
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“We … wish especially to outline the conditions for entering …” Thomas Berry. Carolina Quotes, record CQ-9864E1A43E. https://carolinaquotes.com/quote/9864e1a43e
More from Thomas Berry
The universe is composed of subjects to be communed with, not primarily of objects to be used. As a subject, each component of the universe is capable of having rights.
This hymnal literature is not "primitive." It is highly developed in its literary form, in its intellectual insight, and in its questioning attitude. The glory of this literature, however, is its imaginative and emotional qualities. There is a deeply religious mood in the longer hymns to [God] Varuna, an awareness of divine might in the hymns to [God] Indra, a special radiance and loveliness in the hymns to [Goddess] Ushas.
Our relation with the animals finds its expression especially in the amazing variety of benefits they provide for us in their guidance, protection, and companionship. Beyond these modes of assistance, they provide a world of wonder and meaning for the mind—beauty for the imagination. Even beyond all these, they provide an emotional intimacy that is unique, that can come to us from no other source. The animals can do for us, both physically and spiritually, what we cannot do for ourselves or for each other. These more precious gifts they provide through their presence and their responsiveness to our inner needs.