On the planet O there has not been a war for five thousand…
““On the planet O there has not been a war for five thousand years, she read, and on Gethen there has never been a war." She stopped reading, to rest her eyes and because she was trying to train herself to read slowly. "There has never been a war." In her mind the words stood clear and bright, surrounded by and sinking into an infinite, dark, soft incredulity. What would that world be, a world without war? It would be the real world. Peace was the true life, the life of working and learning and bringing up children to work and learn. War, which devoured work, learning, and children, was the denial of reality. But my people, she thought, know only how to deny. Born in the dark shadow of power misused, we set peace outside our world, a guiding and unattainable light. All we know to do is fight. Any peace one of us can make in our life is only a denial that the war is going on, a shadow of the shadow, a doubled unbelief. So as the cloud-shadows swept over the marshes and the page of the book open on her lap, she sighed and closed her eyes. thinking, "I am a liar." Then she opened her eyes and read more about the other worlds, the far realities.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The passage imagines a world without war, contrasting it with the harsh reality that peace is often unattainable and that societies default to conflict.
In simple terms: Imagines peace but sees war as inevitable.
Key Takeaway
Strive for personal peace despite societal conflict.
Themes
peace
war
illusion
societal norms
hope
Mood
hopeful
melancholic
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- activism
- conflict resolution
- education
- community building
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
Utopian thought
philosophical realism
human nature
Questions to Reflect On
- Can individual actions create meaningful peace?
- What barriers keep societies from achieving lasting peace?
A Different Perspective
Peace may be idealized but hard to sustain globally.