3 ms·
> We all suffer, but not all of us grow. Those of us who grow do so by developing our moral imaginations and expanding our carrying capacities for pain and blis
by fizwhiz 8y ago
> We all suffer, but not all of us grow. Those of us who grow do so by developing our moral imaginations and expanding our carrying capacities for pain and bliss. In fact, this pendulum between joy and despair is what makes old age catalytic for spiritual and emotional growth.
Never thought of it this way. An extremely humbling, optimistic and heart-warming read.
- CoolGuySteve 8y agoReminds me of what Bob Ross said on his show after his wife died: > Gotta have opposites, light and dark and dark and light, in painting. It’s like in life. Gotta have a little sadness once in awhile so you know when the good times come. I'm waiting on the good times now. I'm not a Christian, but between Bob Ross and Fred Rogers, PBS really exhibited the best face of Christianity as a life philosophy.
- bitwize 8y agoFunny you should mention those two. There's a (false) urban legend about Fred Rogers fighting the Viet Cong, but what is true is that Bob Ross was in the military -- and hated it. His experience being "the guy who makes you scrub the latrine" is what led him to grow out his afro and cultivate his nice-guy persona.
- humanrebar 8y agoSymbolically there isn't much in Christian theology describing dark as good when it accents light. That's perhaps more Taoist imagery. But there is embrace of "negative" emotions like sorrow in passages like Ecclesiastes 3, John 11, and Romans 12.
- dominotw 8y agoThats what drug addicts do when they cycle out of a drug for few months so they can enjoi it again.