“...Coca-Cola and fries, the wafer and wine of the Western religion of commerce.”
In this quote, Tad Williams compares Coca-Cola and fries to the wafer and wine of the Western religion of commerce. This comparison highlights how deeply ingrained consumerism and commercialism are in Western society. Just as the wafer and wine are symbolic elements of the Christian ritual, Coca-Cola and fries represent common staples in the diet of many Westerners. The quote sheds light on how culture, economy, and daily life are intertwined in the Western world.
In today's fast-paced consumer culture, the pairing of iconic products like Coca-Cola and fries continues to hold significant cultural importance. These items have become synonymous with the Western lifestyle and are often seen as staples of modern indulgence and convenience. The quote by Tad Williams highlights the pervasive influence of these items in shaping the way we view and interact with commerce in the contemporary world.
One example of the usage of the phrase "Coca-Cola and fries, the wafer and wine of the Western religion of commerce" can be found in Tad Williams' work. This quote highlights the ubiquity and influence of these iconic Western consumer products in society.
In this quote by Tad Williams, the comparison between Coca-Cola and fries to the wafer and wine of a religious ceremony is made. This comparison raises some interesting questions about consumerism and the role it plays in our society. Here are some reflection questions to consider:
“Even the king's Erkynguard might have wished to be elsewhere, rather than here on this killing ground where duty brought them and loyalty prisoned them. Only the mercenaries were here by choice. To Simon, the minds of men who would come to this of their own will were suddenly as incomprehensible as the thoughts of spiders or lizards—less so, even, for the small creatures of the earth almost always fled from danger. These were madmen, Simon realized, and that was the direst problem of the world: that madmen should be strong and unafraid, so that they could force their will on the weak and peace-loving. If God allowed such madness to be, Simon could not help thinking, then He was an old god who had lost His grip.”
“As for monkeys, I would have five, and they would be named: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, Do Pretty Much Whatever The Hell You Want, and Expensive Attorney.”
“We are none of us promised anything but the last breath we take.”
“He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder.”
“After all, is it not the way we humans shape the universe, shape time itself? Do we not take the raw stuff of chaos and impose a beginning, middle, and end on it, like the simplest and most profound of folktales, to reflect the shapes of our own tiny lives? And if the physicists are right, that the physical world changes as it is observed, and we are its only known observers, then might we not be bending the entire chaotic universe, the eternal, ever-active Now, to fit that familiar form?”
“She had to find her own story, and she could make it whatever shape she thought best.”