entelein | (no subject)

Dr. Betancourt put down his mirror and held his hands out, as if he were coming to the punch line of a good joke.

"That's why the only answer is Divine Love, Doctor. Eternal, unreasoning, love."

"Do you really think man is a divine creature, sir?" Freud asked, as politely as he could.

"No. I think he is an animal - just as you do, Doctor. If he were divine, reason would suffice. But because he is, at heart, an animal, reason will never be enough."

"That's a very fatalistic belief."

Betancourt gave him a very curious look.

"That is the test of man, as you must know, sir. To look at the world without illusions - and still live with honor and decency."

from Dreamland, by Kevin Baker