Elder Richard L. Evans, Part One: John Ruskin's Dream of the World

For Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, or Part Five of this talk, follow the appropriate link. 

The first quote hit me, appropriately, like a hammer. I'm just going to leave it here, with a little bit of updating because it spoke to me like it just happened today. 

More about John Ruskin himself here. I can't find the original source - there are 39 volumes of the complete works of John Ruskin.

The Quote

Soberingly, more than {three-fourths} of this year already has passed—

partly in pursuit perhaps of things that don’t matter very much—

which reminds us of a dream that John Ruskin said he had:

“I dreamed,” he said, 

“that I was at a child’s … party, 

in which every means of entertainment had been provided … 

by a wise and kind host. … 

The children had been set free in the rooms and gardens, 

with no care whatever but how to pass the afternoon rejoicingly. … 

There was music … all manner of amusing books … 

a workshop … a table loaded with everything nice to eat … 

and whatever a child could fancy … 

but in the midst of all this 

it struck two or three of the more ‘practical’ children 

that they would like some of the brass-headed nails that studded the chairs, 

and so they set to work to pull them out. 

In a little while all the children, nearly, were spraining their fingers 

in pulling out brass-headed nails. 

With all that they could pull out they were not satisfied; 

and then everybody wanted some of somebody else’s. 

And at last the really ‘practical’ and ‘sensible’ ones declared 

that nothing was of any real consequence that afternoon 

except to get plenty of brass-headed nails. … 

And at last they began to fight for nail heads, … 

even though they knew they would not be allowed to carry so much as one brass knob away with them. 

 But no! 

it was ‘Who has most nails? … 

I must have as many as you before I leave the house or I cannot possibly go home in peace.’ 

At last 

they made so much noise that I awoke, 

and thought to myself, 

‘What a false dream that is of children. … 

Children never do such foolish things. 

Only [adults] do.’”