pain
Marlon Brando
12/01/09 02:18 PM Filed in: Teleological Psychology
Marlon Brando is dead and gone – famous and fortunate in public, sad and forlorn in private. After learning that his son had murdered his daughter’s boyfriend he said, “The messenger of misery visited my home today.” From what we read in the press, the very reclusive Marlon Brando was an unhappy man – depressed, angry and lonely. He lived life in a self-destructive fashion – self absorbed and self-centered.
The “messenger of misery” is one of the many problems of life that we all face. How well we deal with this messenger and the other obstacles that come along in our lives is an indicator of our inner strength, our mental health. We can learn a lesson about life from Marlon Brando and from all the others who follow the path of selfishness and self-destruction. In many ways they are no different than the rest of us. All of us -- the self-actualized, the self-destructive, and the wayward vacillating pilgrims -- are searching for a sense of completion, perfection, and fulfillment. This journey is one of learning to avoid the side roads, the pitfalls and the hidden traps that will confront us; of having the courage to face the unavoidable difficulties of life; and of developing the vision to see and to change our current distorted and damaging ways of striving for success and security.
But how can we truly know ourselves? What are the side paths in life that lead to a sense of incompleteness and result in the negative emotions of excessive sadness, anger, guilt, jealousy, or worry? How can we avoid them? How can we meet the many tasks of life with courage, wisdom and generosity? Hopefully, the journey you are now on is one that leads to self-discovery, positive change, and a clearer vision of the meaning of both the joy and suffering in your life.
The “messenger of misery” is one of the many problems of life that we all face. How well we deal with this messenger and the other obstacles that come along in our lives is an indicator of our inner strength, our mental health. We can learn a lesson about life from Marlon Brando and from all the others who follow the path of selfishness and self-destruction. In many ways they are no different than the rest of us. All of us -- the self-actualized, the self-destructive, and the wayward vacillating pilgrims -- are searching for a sense of completion, perfection, and fulfillment. This journey is one of learning to avoid the side roads, the pitfalls and the hidden traps that will confront us; of having the courage to face the unavoidable difficulties of life; and of developing the vision to see and to change our current distorted and damaging ways of striving for success and security.
But how can we truly know ourselves? What are the side paths in life that lead to a sense of incompleteness and result in the negative emotions of excessive sadness, anger, guilt, jealousy, or worry? How can we avoid them? How can we meet the many tasks of life with courage, wisdom and generosity? Hopefully, the journey you are now on is one that leads to self-discovery, positive change, and a clearer vision of the meaning of both the joy and suffering in your life.