Why We Need Unhappiness
“Your muscles get stronger only by exercise, and exercise means meeting resistance, surfaces that oppose them. Boxers need sparring partners to train with. Our souls are boxers, too, and need hard times to spar with. The muscles of the soul are courage and character. They get strong only through struggle and pain. In fact, they get strong only with some defeats, because strength of soul means wisdom, and wisdom comes from suffering. We learn the most from our mistakes.
You can’t be deeply happy unless you have a deep, strong soul. You can’t have a deep, strong soul unless you have suffered deep unhappiness. Therefore you can’t be deeply happy without ever being deeply unhappy.
Knowing this doesn’t take away unhappiness. If it did, it would take away happiness too.
Wisdom is not a drug for pain. But it gets you out of bed, up and moving, instead of giving up, copping out, or moaning.”
~Peter Kreeft
You can’t be deeply happy unless you have a deep, strong soul. You can’t have a deep, strong soul unless you have suffered deep unhappiness. Therefore you can’t be deeply happy without ever being deeply unhappy.
Knowing this doesn’t take away unhappiness. If it did, it would take away happiness too.
Wisdom is not a drug for pain. But it gets you out of bed, up and moving, instead of giving up, copping out, or moaning.”
~Peter Kreeft
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