"From the first, let us dispense with the Big Lie. You know the one we refer to: the eternally repeated claim that we cannot make real and deep and radical change in our way of living, even if it is the right thing to do. The Big Lie narrows both our perspective and our perception of our alternatives, while making our failures seem natural and inevitable. The Big Lie claims that we are cowards, that we are weak, that we are no longer the inheritors of our revolutionary past and that we lack moral integrity. It is a slander, and yet we believe it. And until we stop believing it, we cannot lift our hands, our voices or our hoes and get on with the work of change."
It continues on, expounding a bit, but that first paragraph is just awesome. I also realize, as I bring this quote in, part of my old issues with putting quotes into papers--it is connected to other thoughts I've been having lately. But I have always had good reading comprehension and so I never understood why I had to explain the quote because it just said what needed to be said for itself--or so I thought. Since then, of course, I have realized the value of restating and investigating alternative words to get at the deeper points or to illustrate different meanings for different readers.
Returning to the passage, what I like about it is how it emphasizes that not only is our view of reality that is skewed by the Lie, but our view of what is possible. The Lie keeps us complacent about our world so we don't shake the standing power structure. We don't believe we can change--so we don't try too hard; we don't expect too much. We believe we are less than we are because it is easier. And since, as a species, we tend to dislike being made to change so our lives become harder....
