Asking for forgiveness Quote by Dana Gioia
“We offer you the landscape of your birth -- Exquisite and despoiled. We all share blame. We cannot ask forgiveness of the earth For killing what we cannot even name.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: The Landscape of Birth, 2010
Humanity both creates and destroys the earth; we share responsibility and cannot simply ask for forgiveness.
In simple terms: We are both creators and destroyers of nature.
Key Takeaway
Take responsibility for environmental harm.
Themes
environment
ethics
responsibility
art
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- activism
- policy making
- education
- creative writing
Key Concepts
ecocriticism
collective guilt
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we move from guilt to repair?
- What does “exquisite and despoiled” mean to you?
A Different Perspective
Blame can be diffused, hindering action.
![“People in the world ask for forgiveness, but [true] ‘pratikraman’ does not happen by doing that. That is like when people casually say ‘sorry’ or ‘thank you’. There is no significance in that; the significance is of ‘alochana-pratikraman-pratyakhyan’ (acknowledgement of the mistake, repentance and…” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4f7/dada-bhagwan-31_acknowledment_people-in-the-world-ask-for-forgiveness_245419.jpg)
