"Whosoever despises himself still respects himself as one who despises." -- Friedrich Nietzsche
When you are unhappy, you find yourself prone to feelings of envy and jealousy. When your own life seems worthless, you often look at someone else's life and want it for yourself. But remember, however much you might want his car, career, lover or even good looks or intelligence, you would never, given the chance, choose to be that person. You would never choose to exchange souls, because your ego is fiercely bound to your defects and failings no matter how appalling they may be. Once you realize this -- once you realize that no matter how worthless your life is, it's still the only one you would ever choose to have -- you can begin to see yourself with new eyes.
My life is worthless, but it is mine.
Reprinted with permission from "Daily Afflictions" by Andrew Boyd, published by W.W. Norton. To order a copy, click here
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