“We don't seek the painful experiences that hew our identities, but we seek our identities in the wake of painful experiences. We cannot bear a pointless torment, but we can endure great pain if we believe that it's purposeful. Ease makes less of an impression on us than struggle. We could have been ourselves without our delights, but not without the misfortunes that drive our search for meaning. 'Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities,' St. Paul wrote in Second Corinthians, 'for when I am weak, then I am strong.'” IfsBelieveHas BeensMotivationalPainStrongPleasureStruggleIdentityBearsWeakEndurePainfulDelightImpressionEaseMisfortunesTormentCould Have BeenPointlessSearch For MeaningInfirmityI Am StrongCorinthiansPainful Experiences Author:Andrew Solomon
“A recent poll showed that nearly half the American public believes that the government should redistribute wealth. That so many people are so willing to blithely put such an enormous and dangerous arbitrary power in the hands of politicians-\-\risking their own freedom, in hopes of getting what someone else has-\-\is a painful sign of how far many citizens and voters fall short of what is needed to preserve a democratic republic” PeopleShouldBelieveHandsGovernmentFallWealthHalfDangerousWillingNeededCitizensPoliticianDemocraticPainfulEnormousPreservesVotersRepublicArbitraryPollsDemocratic Republic Author:Thomas Sowell