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I haven’t read the Time Machine in several decades so I forgot the primary message of that passage, or maybe I never understood it in the first place. Today I understand it. Today I realize how pathetically ignorant we have been to reality. Our focus on comfort and “self-actualization” means we are in great peril.

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Indeed. The eradication of struggle is a fantasy and attempts at realizing it will bring about a crisis in meaning. And it is also very interesting how Wells himself admits this in this passage. His focus is more on the consequences of the extreme disparity between the classes. Would love to read more about his views and political inclinations (and shifts through the years).

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Having just spent a week in Padova, I find none of this surprising.

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Hope you enjoyed Padova! Love this city.

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