Envisioning a world that is far more responsive to our ethical and spiritual needs, does not mean embracing a naive optimism that is oblivious to the inevitable pain and suffering in human life. We need not deny the "shadow" side of human beings, nor the pain that is associated with disease, nor the distress that accompanies death, in order to envision a world that is far more capable of addressing our hunger for meaning and purpose than are contemporary market-driven societies.
— Michael Lerner, The Politics of Meaning