In a fascinating talk that weaved the personal and the cultural, the social and the political, writer Elif Shafak explored what it means to be human in our age of uncertainties and conflict.
"In order to be more sane in this world, I honestly feel that we need a dose of both optimism and pessimism. Not extreme optimism because that makes us complacent but no extreme pessimism either because that pulls us down. Defend the pessimism of the intellect and the optimism of the heart." she said.
Shafak continued on to encourage people to look to books during turbulent times, "literature can make a difference and can make a change because our perspectives change when you read other people's stories".
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