> Plenty of people in our age do entertain the monstrous dreams of power that Mr. Lewis attributes to his characters, and we are within sight of the time when such dreams will be realisable.
I love this statement. It seems quite obvious to me, as it did to him, that out of a planet of billions of people, some of those would be power hungry and organize themselves together for better carrying out their schemes. The rest of us should be vigilant in preventing them from rising in power, since they usually have little empathy for the rest of us.
It's dangerous to think of people in terms of "the rest of us" and some other group out there plotting evil, against which one must be vigilant, for it is the case that the evil is in all of us, and if you spend too much time "being vigilant" against perceived evil men, you may overlook the wickedness of your own soul.
"The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either – but right through every human heart…even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains…an uprooted small corner of evil."
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956
A great quote I've carried with me a while. Still, I'd have to think even Solzhenitsyn would recommend we not let the Gulags rise again if we can help it. His description of the laws and culture that led to the Gulags are eye opening.
I love this statement. It seems quite obvious to me, as it did to him, that out of a planet of billions of people, some of those would be power hungry and organize themselves together for better carrying out their schemes. The rest of us should be vigilant in preventing them from rising in power, since they usually have little empathy for the rest of us.