We try to fill the need by providing houses, by
promoting the building of houses, planning the whole architectural enterprise.
However hard and bitter, however hampering and threatening the lack of houses
remains, the real plight of
dwelling does not lie merely
in a lack of houses. The real plight of dwelling is indeed older than the world
wars with their destruction, older also than the increase of the earth's
population and the condition of the industrial workers. The real dwelling
plight lies in this, that mortals ever search anew for the nature of dwelling,
that they must ever learn to
dwell. What if man's
homelessness consisted in this, that man still does not even think of the real plight of dwelling as the plight? Yet as soon as man gives thought to his homelessness, it is a
misery no longer. Rightly considered and kept well in mind, it is the sole
summons that calls mortals into their dwelling.
But how else can
mortals answer this summons than by trying on their part, on their own, to bring
dwelling to the fullness of its nature? This they accomplish when they build
out of dwelling, and think for the sake of dwelling.
- Heidegger, Building, Dwelling, Thinking
