"What kind of men, then, does our society need? What is the "social character" suited to twentieth century Capitalism? It needs men who co-operate sm… - Erich Fromm

What holds true for the individual holds true for a society. It is never static; if it does not grow, it decays; if it does not transcend the status quo for the better, it changes for the worse. Often we, the individual or the people who make up a society, have the illusion we could stand still and not alter the given situation in the one or the other direction. This is one of the most dangerous illusions. The moment we stand still, we begin to decay.

أصبح إنسان اليوم يتصرف مثل الانسان الآلي الذي لا يعرف نفسه ولا يفهمها، والشخص الوحيد الذي يعرفه هو الشخص الذي من المفترض أن يكون عليه، والذي حلت لديه الدردشة عديمة المعنى محل الحديث التواصلي، وحلت ابتسامته المصطنعة محل الضحكة الراقية التي تخرج من القلب، واستبدل الألم الراقي باحساس من اليأس الممل، وهناك عبارتان يمكن وصف هذا الفرد بهما؛ الأولى أنه يعاني من عيوب في التعامل بتلقائية وعيوب في شخصيته والتي تبدو غير قابلة للعلاج، وفي نفس الوقت يمكن القول أنه لا يختلف اختلافا أساسيا عن ملايين البشر الذين يعج بهم الكون.

"Take for instance a man driven to incessant work by a sense of deep insecurity and loneliness; or another one driven by ambition, or greed for money. In all these cases the person is the slave of a passion, and his activity is in reality a "passivity" because he is driven; he is the sufferer, not the "actor." On the other hand a man sitting quiet and contemplating, with no purpose or aim except that of experiencing himself and his oneness with the world, is considered to be "passive", because he is not "doing" anything. In reality, this attitude of concentrated meditation is the highest activity there is, an activity of the soul, which is possible only under the condition of inner freedom and independence."