Quotes by Jon Katz

“Theres a streak of alienation running through this culture, ... Theres a streak of braininess, obsessiveness. I mean, anybody can use a computer, but not anybodys a geek.”

“I think the new reality thats converging all this is, you have on the one end this culture of extraordinarily gifted outsiders who have patched together the Internet. And then theres the rest of the world -- business, education and politics -- that suddenly has woken up to the fact that they desperately need the Internet. Its very important. And so they become sort of central while still not being in the mainstream.”

“(Jesse) was alienated from school. He wasnt learning much. He didnt have a lot of teachers who were close to him. He didnt have social acceptance. He had never been invited to a party in high school. Hes very much a loner.”

“He had done everything you can do on a computer. He asked for information. He educated himself online. He connected with people online. He explored the world online,”

“Its about the ability of human beings to change their lives using this radical new technology just the way Jesse did. Because he would not be standing here without the Internet. I wouldnt know him. He wouldnt be at this university,”

I think if Ive learned anything about friendship, its to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Dont walk away, dont be distracted, dont be too busy or tired, dont take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.

It is difficult to see ourselves as we are. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to have good friends, lovers or others who will do us the good service of telling us the truth about ourselves. When we dont, we can so easily delude ourselves, lose a sense of truth about ourselves, and our conscience loses power and purpose. Mostly, we tell ourselves what we would like to hear. We lose our way.

We are human, and we suffer, and unlike the animals on the farm, we are self-aware, and we know that we suffer, and it doesnt hurt more or less if God caused it or could stop it, at least for me. I am definitely of the school that believes God has bigger stuff to worry about than me.

I am no theologian, and do not have the answers to these questions, and one of the reasons I enjoy the animals on the farm so much is that they dont think about their pain, or question it, they accept it and endure it, true stoics. I have never heard a donkey or cow whine (although I guess dogs do). I told my friend this: pain, like joy, is a gift. It challenges us, tests, defines us, causes us to grow, empathize, and also, to appreciate its absence. If nothing else, it sharpens the experience of joy. The minute something happens to me that causes pain, I start wondering how I can respond to it, what I can learn from it, what it has taught me or shown me about myself. This doesnt make it hurt any less, but it puts it, for me, on a more manageable level. I dont know if there is a God, or if he causes me or anybody else to hurt, or if he could stop pain. I try to accept it and live beyond it. I think the animals have taught me that. The Problem of Pain is that it exists, and is ubiquitous. The Challenge of Pain is how we respond to it.

Whenever I hear people clucking about the decline of civilization, whats wrong with young people, how vulgar popular culture is, how confusing and frightening they find the internet, alarms go off. I know Im around somebody whose hinges are rusting. Death will be bad enough, but for me, this early harbinger is more fearsome, because a part of ones spirit and openness and ability to learn and grow disappears.

The immature conscience is not its own master. It simply parrots the decisions of others. It does not make judgments of its own; it merely conforms to the judgments of others. That is not real freedom, and it makes true love impossible, for if we are to love truly and freely, we must be able to give something that is truly our own to another. If our heart does not belong to us, asks Merton, how can we give it to another?

Dogs are blameless, devoid of calculation, neither blessed nor cursed with human motives. They cant really be held responsible for what they do. But we can.--from The Dogs of Bedlam Farm

Most Americans acquire dogs impulsively and for dubious reasons: as a Christmas gift for the kids. Because they saw one in a movie. To match the new living-room furniture. Because they moved to the suburbs and see a dog as part of the package.

Animals have come to mean so much in our lives. We live in a fragmented and disconnected culture. Politics are ugly, religion is struggling, technology is stressful, and the economy is unfortunate. Whats one thing that we have in our lives that we can depend on? A dog or a cat loving us unconditionally, every day, very faithfully.

When an animal dies, it gives you the chance to love another animal. Thats an insightful and profound way to look at it.

Taking responsibility and having faith in your own judgment will help you make good choices and decisions at the end of your pets life.

Its important to remember that the animals are not grieving with us. Theyre very accepting. Theyre not lying there thinking How could you do this to me? Why arent you keeping me going? Pets dont do the human things of guilt and anger and recrimination that we do. They come and go with great acceptance.

“ It is difficult to see ourselves as we are. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to have good friends, lovers or others who will do us the good service of telling us the truth about ourselves. When we dont, we can so easily delude ourselves, lose a sense of truth about ourselves, and our conscience loses power and purpose. Mostly, we tell ourselves what we would like to hear. We lose our way.”

“I think if Ive learned anything about friendship, its to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Dont walk away, dont be distracted, dont be too busy or tired, dont take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.”