'It Is Purely A Personal Matter

I have come to recognize that it is not my duty to struggle with the world, nor to condemn this or that, but first and foremost to know myself, since every conflict begins within ourselves. That does not mean that I am indifferent, but if someone wants to change the world he must begin with himself. I am absolutely convinced of this. If one does not begin with ones self, every step toward the world will be nothing but a big lie and at the same time an attack, and this hidden aggressiveness tends to go on spreading. How to do this is quite a different story, but if one starts off with this idea, everything else appears in a new light. And so I set off in search of new sounds. In this way the path itself becomes a source of inspiration. The path no longer runs outward from us, but inwards, to the core from which everything springs. That is what all my action has come to mean: building and not destroying.'- minimalist composer Arvo Pärt