The Rebel's Illusion: Nostalgia and Necromancy

Tradition, revolution, and the guillotine | Becoming subjects

"The only hope of our recognizing the truth of our predicament, becoming part of as well as being able to influence our reality, lies, I believe, in our making the transition from object to subject. For most of us this is a far from painless process, and many never even dream of its possibility. Paradoxically, it is in our 'symptoms' of anxiety, distress and malaise that encouraging signs are to be found of the insistence of the subject on being recognized. It is thus in our capacity to be disturbed by the false objectivity of our world that the greatest hope lies for our being able to do something about it." — Illusion and Reality: The Meaning of Anxiety, David Smail

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"You're not taught what to want, but how to want, the modern innovation is to let you think you came up with you on your own." — Sadly, Porn… Edward Teach

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"In the sunset of dissolution, everything is illuminated by the aura of nostalgia, even the guillotine." — The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera

"We c…