All right,’ said Susan. ‘I’m not stupid. You’re saying humans need… fantasies to make life bearable?”
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
“Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little-“
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES
“So we can believe the big ones?”
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
“They’re not the same at all!”
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET- Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME… RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
“Yes, but people have got to believe that or what’s the point-“
MY POINT EXACTLY.
-Terry Pratchett, Hogfather. (via slightly)
One of my favorite quotes ever. Unsettling to think about at first, but in the end, it makes a heck of a lot of sense. After I finished Hogfather, I pretty much dove head first into rest of the Discworld series. Some were poignant. Some were note so poignant. All were enjoyable (except for Eric, but let’s not go there).
Perhaps Pratchett isn’t the most brilliant mind out there, but he certainly has a very clear view on the world as it is. He also has a gift for translating what is into something the rest of us can actually understand.
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