"فرشته می‌خواهد مردگان را بیدار کند و آنچه را که خرد شده است به هم وصل کند اما طوفانی از بهشت می‌وزد این طوفان به بال‌های او با چنان شدتی گیر کرده که فرشته دیگر نمی‌تواند آنها را ببندد"

The essence of this quote is about the tension between the desire to fix the past and the unstoppable force of progress pushing us forward. It’s like you want to go back and mend all the broken pieces, but something powerful prevents you from doing so. It’s a struggle between restoration and relentless change.

Walter Benjamin, a German Jewish philosopher and cultural critic, said this in his work “Theses on the Philosophy of History” in 1940. Imagine, Europe was in turmoil, World War II was raging, and the world seemed like it was falling apart. Benjamin was trying to grapple with the idea that history is full of destruction and loss, and yet it moves forward with a force that individuals often can't resist.

Picture this: you’re an environmental activist, passionate about saving the planet. You see the damage that’s been done — deforestation, pollution, species extinction — and you desperately want to reverse it. You’re fueled by this vision of a pristine, healthy Earth. But then, there’s this massive wave of industrial progress and economic growth that seems unstoppable. Every step you take to heal the Earth is met with ten more steps of environmental degradation driven by these powerful forces. You feel like that angel, wings spread wide, wanting to restore what’s been lost, but being swept away by a storm you can’t control.

So, how do you apply this idea in your life? Sometimes, it’s about accepting that you can’t fix everything. Focus on what you can do in the present to make a difference, rather than getting stuck in the past. It’s like trying to steer a ship in a storm — you can't stop the storm, but you can navigate through it. Maybe you can’t bring back the forests that have been cut down, but you can work on planting new trees, advocating for policy changes, and educating others. It’s about finding your place within the storm and making your actions count.

Let me tell you a little story. Imagine you’re a high school student who’s always been a top performer. Suddenly, life throws you a curveball — maybe you lose a loved one, or you face a personal crisis. Your grades slip, and you feel like everything you’ve worked for is crashing down. You want so badly to go back and fix things, to get those A’s again and make everything perfect. But life doesn’t work that way. Instead, you take a deep breath and focus on what you can control. You start small — catching up on one subject, asking for help when you need it, and accepting that it’s okay not to be perfect all the time. Slowly, you find your footing again. You can’t change the past, but you navigate through the storm, and that’s what matters.

So next time you feel overwhelmed by past mistakes or the urge to fix everything that’s broken, remember the angel. Understand that while you can’t always repair the past, you have the power to influence the present and future. Embrace the storm, find your course, and keep moving forward.