If spectacle is lacking in everyday life, it may be because we have forgotten where and how to look.

Nel Noddings
About This Quote

The literal meaning of this quote is, “we may have lost the ability to look.” Another way to interpret it is that we’re not looking in the right place. We might be missing the larger picture — we just aren’t seeing it. This quote is better explained through an example: You were walking down a busy street and came across a man who was standing in front of a store with a sign in front of him saying, “Buy my stuff.” He didn’t look like he was selling anything; he looked like he was standing in front of the store because the sidewalk was too crowded for him to walk anywhere else.

Source: Peace Education: How We Come To Love And Hate War

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