Extraordinary Discourse 169

Anything But



On Institutions And The Individual


Any environment tends to be imperceptible to its users and occupants except to the degree that counter-environments are created by the artist.
Marshall McLuhan,
Contemplating Me



Any large company composed of wholly admirable persons has the morality and
intelligence of an unwieldy, stupid, and violent animal. The bigger the
organization, the more unavoidable is its immorality and blind stupidity.
...without freedom there can be no morality.
C. G. Jung



"Know all men [sic] by these presents, that I, Henry Thoreau, do not wish to be regarded as a member of any incorporated society which I have not joined." This I gave
to the town clerk, and he has it. The State, having thus learned that I did not
wish to be regarded as a member of that church, has never made a like demand on
me since; though it said that it must adhere to its original presumption that
time. If I had known how to name them, I should then have signed off in detail
from all the societies which I never signed on to; but I did not know where to
find a complete list.
Henry Thoreau



We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state and our educational system.
Charles Bukowski
(thanks to Maria Popova)

We are designed, coded, it seems, to place the highest priority on being individuals, and we must do this first, at  whatever cost, even if it means disability for the group.

This is surely the driving idea behind democracy, and it is astonishing that the system works at all, let alone well. The individuaI is the real human treasure, and only when he [sic] has been cultivated to full expression of his selfness can he become of full value to society.

Lewis Thomas

The Medusa And The Snail