A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
I hope no one who reads this book has been quite as miserable as Susan and Lucy were that night; but if you have been - if you've been up all night and cried till you have no more tears left in you - you will know that there comes in the end a sort of quietness. You feel as if nothing is ever going to happen again.
Interpretation
The quote conveys that after experiencing deep sorrow and crying, a sense of peace eventually follows.
In this quote, C. S. Lewis reflects on the emotional turmoil faced by the characters Susan and Lucy, suggesting that extreme sadness can lead to a feeling of stillness and quietness once the pain subsides. It acknowledges the depth of human experience, particularly the struggles with grief, while also offering the hope that there is a resolution and peace after intense feelings of despair.
In practice
In a personal development seminar discussing overcoming grief.
A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
I enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
Life is like a library owned by the author. In it are a few books which he wrote himself, but most of them were written for him.
We spend our life until weβre twenty deciding what parts of ourself to put into the bag, and we spend the rest of our lives trying to get them out again.
I suppose, at 50, you value things in a different way. So you value connections, you value your friendships, you value your health, and you are much more aware of time passing.
I hope that on my tombstone it says 'Born 1933, died 2043.' I hope that's my legacy.
Grief is accepting the reality of what is. That is grief's job and purpose-to allow us to come to terms with the way things really are, so that we can move on. Grief is a gift of God. Without it, we would all be condemned to a life of continually denying reality, arguing or protesting against reality, and never growing from the realities we experience.
There's no way around grief and loss: you can dodge all you want, but sooner or later you just have to go into it, through it, and, hopefully, come out the other side. The world you find there will never be the same as the world you left.
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