"For me, there is comfort in the idea that my death informs my life." Philip spoke with uncharacteristic fervor as he continued, "There is comfort in the idea of not allowing my core being to be devoured by trivialities, by insignificant successes or failures, by what I possess, by concerns about popularity - who likes me, who doesn't. For me, there is comfort in the state of remaining free to appreciate the miracle of being." p. 264
(...)
"One of Schopenhauer's formulations that helped me," said Philip, "was the idea that relative happiness stems from three sources: what one is, what one has, and what one represents in the eyes of others. He urges that we focus only on the first and do not bank on the second and third - on having and our reputation - because we have no control over those two; they can, and will, be taken away from us - just as your inevitable aging is taking away your beauty. In fact, 'having' has a reverse factor, he said - What we have often starts to have us." p. 272
(...)
"One of Schopenhauer's formulations that helped me," said Philip, "was the idea that relative happiness stems from three sources: what one is, what one has, and what one represents in the eyes of others. He urges that we focus only on the first and do not bank on the second and third - on having and our reputation - because we have no control over those two; they can, and will, be taken away from us - just as your inevitable aging is taking away your beauty. In fact, 'having' has a reverse factor, he said - What we have often starts to have us." p. 272
Irvin D. Yalom, The Schopenhauer Cure, Harper Perennial, 2006.
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