Someone once said that his favourite times in history were when things were collapsing, because that meant something new was being born. Does this make any sense if we apply it to our individual lives? To die when something new is being born - even if that something new is our very own self? Because just as all political and historical change sooner or later disappointments, so does adulthood. So does life. Sometimes I think the purpose of life is to reconcile us to its eventual loss by wearing us down, by proving, however long it takes, that life isn't all it's cracked up to be.
In the quote, the author reflects on the cycles of destruction and rebirth in both history and personal life. He suggests that moments of collapse often herald new beginnings, even when those beginnings involve personal transformation. This idea invites contemplation on whether we must endure endings to make way for new aspects of ourselves, paralleling the broader social and political upheavals that have been historically significant.
Furthermore, the passage conveys a...