"A democratic civilization will save itself only if it makes the language of the image into a stimulus for critical reflection - not an invitation for hypnosis" - Umberto Eco



Danskins Mountains

Not everything has a name.  Some things lead us into a realm beyond words. - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn





Snake River
Every nation gets the government it deserves.
- Joseph de Maistre



Lucky Peak
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
― H.L. Mencken

Boise Cascade Lake
“As history confirms, people will change their minds about almost anything, from which god they worship to how they style their hair. But when it comes to existential judgments, human beings in general have an unfalteringly good opinion of themselves and their condition in this world and are steadfastly confident they are not a collection of self-conscious nothings.”
― Thomas Ligotti, The Conspiracy Against the Human Race    

White Clouds

The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.

- H.L. Mencken

Stack Rock

 

 

 

If you can define people’s existence, if you tell them, “You’re a machine made of matter, in competition with other machines made of matter for survival,” then that has the effect of causing people to think that to produce and consume more and more material things is the main purpose of human life.  So they do that and it generates huge amounts of wealth that flows in an unfair way into certain pockets.  There are a lot of interests in society, financial interests, political interests, other interests that want to see that continue.  They don’t want to see people get distracted from that.

- Michael Cremo