"We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have - for their usefulness"

This quote by Thomas Merton speaks to the concept that contemporary society is so concentrated on performance and doing that it has taken away from the worth of simply being. We are so concentrated on what we can do and what we can have that we forget to appreciate the value of just existing. This has actually led to a society where people are evaluated and valued based on their productivity and effectiveness, instead of their character and intrinsic worth. This quote functions as a suggestion to require time to value the value of being, and to acknowledge the worth of all people, regardless of their efficiency or usefulness.