The Thought for the Week is offered for members of the University of Bolton by the Chaplaincy for reflection and response. The Thought does not represent the views or policy of either the Chaplaincy or The University of Bolton. Quotations are taken from a wide range of sources. You don't have to sign in to make a comment - just click the comments link at the foot of each Thought.
“Liberty and equality aren’t gods; they’re conditions for making an open and just society. But we’ve neglected the third word in this venerable motto: fraternity... The issue isn’t straining to uphold liberty: it’s working out what to do with people who won’t. The real challenge isn’t how to live: it’s how to live together.”The Revd Dr Sam Wells (Radio 4 Thought for the Day, 9/1/2015)
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure …There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you… As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love, Thorsons, New Edition, 1996)
“The totalitarianism that leads to chains begins with the assumption that there is only one way of understanding the common good. Fascism is about wanting to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. It is a consequence of this assumption that if I think differently from you, then it must be because of error or wickedness. On the other hand, a pluralism that recognises many different ways – creative disharmony – is the best guarantor of healthy freedom.”