Take away grievances from some people and you remove their reasons for living; most of us are nourished by hope, but a considerable minority get psychic nutrition from their resentments, and would waste away purposelessly without them.
Interpretation
Some individuals derive a sense of purpose and identity from their grievances, which can be detrimental to their well-being.
In this quote, Sydney J. Harris highlights the paradox that while most people find motivation and nourishment through hope and positivity, there exists a significant minority who fuel their existence through their resentments and grievances. This reliance on negative emotions can become a crutch, providing a misplaced sense of purpose that could lead to psychological stagnation if removed.
In practice
This quote could be shared in a mental health seminar to discuss the impact of negative emotions on well-being.
A person is either himself or not himself; is either rooted in his existence or is a fabrication; has either found his humanhood or is still playing with masks and roles and status symbols. And nobody is more aware of this difference (although unconsciously) than a child. Only an authentic person can evoke a good response in the core of the other person; only person is resonant to person.
We evaluate others with a Godlike justice, but we want them to evaluate us with a Godlike compassion.
The commonest fallacy among women is that simply having children makes them a mother - which is as absurd as believing that having a piano makes one a musician.
Man's unique agony as a species consists in his perpetual conflict between the desire to stand out and the need to blend in.
"Terrorism" is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it; "war" is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it.
At it's highest level, the purpose of teaching is not to teach—it is to inspire the desire for learning. Once a student's mind is set on fire, it will find a way to provide its own fuel.
All power is God`s power; we are only vehicles. He pulsates in our hearts. He breathes through us. He sings a thousand and one songs through us. Sannyas means to let this understanding become the foundation of your life: We are not, God is. Let the ego disappear, evaporate, and you will find infinite contentment. With the ego there is only misery; without the ego there is only God; and God is bliss, and God is benediction, and God is ecstasy. Die to the ego so that God can live in you.
I pass death with the dying and birth with the new-wash'd babe, and am not contained between my hat and my boots.
Most persons are so absorbed in the contemplation of the outside world that they are wholly oblivious to what is passing on within themselves. The premature death of millions is primarily traceable to this cause. Even among those who exercise care, it is a common mistake to avoid imaginary, and ignore the real dangers. And what is true of an individual also applies, more or less, to a people as a whole.
Walk to the well. _x000D_ Turn as the earth and the moon turn, _x000D_ circling what they love. _x000D_ Whatever circles comes from the center.
Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man
Secret guilt is by silence revealed.
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