Working toward kindness can bring joy to the bipolar who has needs to overcome daily symptoms and to remain positive with stability.
The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty, and truth. The trite subjects of human efforts, possessions, outward success, luxury, have always seemed to me contemptible-Albert Einstein-
Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness-George Sands-
This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy-George Bernard Shaw-
Give not over thy soul to sorrow; and afflict not thyself in thy own counsel. Gladness of heart is the life of man and the joyfulness of man is length of days-Ecclesiastes-I cannot believe that the inscrutable universe turns on an axis of suffering; surely the strange beauty of the world must somewhere rest on pure joy!-Louis Bogan-
If you have a chronic pain/illness it's harder to see your purpose in life as "joy". It's hard to say there is no suffering. Because I suffer--and I have no control over the attacks. BUT, I do agree that it's still a matter of the mind deciding--to be a "force of nature" or to wallow in sorrow and be crushed by the weight of suffering here.
ReplyDeleteI do think we need to detach from it--to see it as temporary no matter how long our "sentence" is...
Its just not always easy when you're really painfully ill...
HUGS
Homunculus..
ReplyDeleteI truly understand you chronic pain/illness and how it make living a life of joy very difficult. Sometimes, trying to be kind to yourself may diminish some of the suffering. The secret of self healing is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you.
I'm glad you give positive comments. Even when you are dealing with your pain. I admire your strength....
Hugs. Dr Fred