The fundamentalist, the jihadist, the literalist, the evangelical, the political or religious zealot and all other fools of such absolute faith in their own certainty — those beasts unleashed in Eden — are indeed the enemies of humanity as a whole. They are the proud adversaries of free thought since a superficial homogeny is their overall aim. Combatting such forces often requires great restraint, labor, and wisdom. Each individual, if she does not wish to join these enemy r...anks, must develop a host of humane virtues within herself. She must form the type of character that has been educated in the classics, informed through experience, enlightened by philosophy, art, and music, inspired by noble sentiments and emotions, and made wise through the lens of multiple perspectives. Then she must pass her wisdom along to others so that it becomes something of a genetic trait flowing out to future generations. Otherwise, the humane itself may very well perish from existence entirely, stricken by loneliness and malnourishment. What would remain on earth after the demise of the humane — assuming humanity doesn’t physically extinguish itself from the planet as well — would be a Hobbesian nightmare of tooth and claw, man reduced to his most savage nature — a raging beast among the animals. In order to avoid such a fate for humankind, it is the duty of all wise, courageous souls to elicit, encourage, and express the highest values of humanity whenever possible. Only then might we hope to see an improvement in the overall nobility of the human species
"Emile Benoit"