A little kingdom I possess,
Where thoughts and feelings dwell;
And very hard the task I find
Of governing it well.
~ Louisa May Alcott

...that more or less describes my situation!

 
Was following a discussion in the comments box of a fellow blogger's site, when a particular comment by TYrannosaurus Rex arrested my attention. It couldn't have reflected better my own sentiments. (Interestingly, I've noticed that when we say we admire a person's thought, we admire it not so much because it presents something new to us, but because it confirms a belief or opinion of our own!)

Comment:

"if you push along with reason (or that which stands to it ) people do feel that they are being coerced into adopting a position which asks them to negate their stated positions.....which is a mistaken assumption/inference.....
its just that one is taking the dialogue deeper......but they are not willing to go that far...irony is (and often a cause for ill-feeling ) that instead of saying that they are a little insecure at keeping their "beliefs" in purgatory for the sake of examining them - they loop out by saying that each is entitled to his own .....which if you look at it deeper....is another way of saying that they are unwilling to try and understand what is different from what is familiar and comfortable to them..."


posted by Sylvia D'souza at 12:15 am 0 comments

 
Had taken to reading Persuasion (Jane Austen) in the spare time I had in office. Came across an interesting dialogue between two characters, pertaining to the constancy of attachments.



Poor Fanny! she would not have forgotten him so soon!'
`No,' replied Anne, in a low, feeling voice. `That I can easily believe.'
`It was not in her nature. She doted on him.'
`It would not be the nature of any woman who truly loved.'
Captain Harville smiled, as much as to say, `Do you claim that for your
sex?' and she answered the question, smiling also, `Yes. We certainly do
not forget you as soon as you forget us. It is, perhaps, our fate rather
than our merit. We cannot help ourselves. We live at home, quiet,
confined, and our feelings prey upon us. You are forced on exertion. You
have always a profession, pursuits, business of some sort or other, to
take you back into the world immediately, and continual occupation and
change soon weaken impressions.'
`Granting your assertion that the world does all this so soon for men
(which, however, I do not think I shall grant), it does not apply to Captain
Benwick. He has not been forced upon any exertion. The peace turned him on
shore at the very moment, and he has been living with us, in our little
family circle, ever since.'
`True,' said Anne, `very true; I did not recollect; but what shall we say
now, Captain Harville? If the change be not from outward circumstances, it
must be from within; it must be nature, man's nature, which has done the
business for Captain Benwick.'
`No, no, it is not man's nature. I will not allow it to be more man's
nature than woman's to be inconstant and forget those they do love, or
have loved.’

--------------------------

`Ah!' cried Captain Harville, in a tone of strong feeling, `if I could but
make you comprehend what a man suffers …. I speak, you know, only of
such men as have hearts!' pressing his own with emotion.
Oh!' cried Anne eagerly, `I hope I do justice to all that is felt by you,
and by those who resemble you. God forbid that I should undervalue the
warm and faithful feelings of any of my fellow-creatures! I should deserve
utter contempt if I dared to suppose that true attachment and constancy
were known only by woman. No, I believe you capable of everything great
and good in your married lives. I believe you equal to every important
exertion, and to every domestic forbearance, so long as - if I may be
allowed the expression - so long as you have an object. I mean while the
woman you love lives, and lives for you. All the privilege I claim for my
own sex (it is not a very enviable one; you need not covet it), is that of
loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone.'


posted by Sylvia D'souza at 1:30 am 0 comments