"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word." "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes." (Psalm 119:67, 71)A fact, which cannot be disputed is the weakening of human personality in the West while in the East it has become firmer and stronger...we have been through a spiritual training far in advance of Western experience. The complex and deadly crush of life has produced stronger, deeper and more interesting personalities than those generated by standardized Western well being. -ALEXANDER SOLZHENITSYN, Harvard 1978
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2 comments:
I'm trying to think what is meant by a stronger, deeper, more interesting personality. It might be a more rigid, single-faceted, unthoughtful pattern of relating. Perhaps this was due to lack of exposure to multiple points of view and suppression of humor that helps us in the west be more self-conscious of our quirks. Just a thought.
I take it to mean a deeper character. Those who endure great and sustained trials are forced to live more seriously. And they tend to appreciate life on a more profound level.
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