Section VIII of Pascal's Pensees, entitled "Diversion," includes these two profound sentences:
"Being unable to cure death, wretchedness and ignorance, men have decided, in order to be happy, not to think about such things" (#133).
"I have often said that the sole cause of man's unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room" (#136).
I poked around in this portion of the Pensees today, having recieved some stimulus over at Between Two Worlds to do so. There is much in the Pensees to think about and heed for the modern American. And I confess feeling much more at home with Pascal than with most Americans who are constantly worked into a dither about this and about that inconsequential distraction. Perhaps you'll consider staying home in the quiet of your room to take up and meditate upon the Pensees by Pascal, especially the section on diversion. But be prepared: to face your awful self, this awful world, and that awful world to come.
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