Passages taken from Pablo Martinez’s book
“A Thorn in the Flesh”
“I feel like a millionaire who has lost ten pounds”. These words, spoken by a Spanish journalist in an interview after becoming tetraplegic owing to a traffic accident, made a deep impact on me and raised questions in my mind.
How can a person going through such adverse circumstances react so courageously and have such a positive attitude? We all know people who struggle in the midst of life’s storms, beaten by crashing waves, who yet remain capable of delighting in the smallest details and maintaining a tough spirit and positive attitude. Their example inspires us and their determination is contagious.
On the other hand, why do some people always look dissatisfied and seem to live ‘drenched in a permanent complaint’? This was the case for the Romanian philosopher Emil Cioran, who even wrote a book with a very eloquent title: Syllogisms of Bitterness. In one of his thoughts he says: “The secret of my adaptation to life? I have changed from one type of despair to another as often as I have changed my shirt.”
How does one explain the difference between these two reactions? What’s the secret? Can we do something to achieve a minimum level of ‘happiness’ in the midst of the pain caused by chronic suffering? Can we avoid bitterness when touched by the thorns of life? The answer to these questions introduces us to the climax of our study…
