The Robesonian., 1897-11-24
Morbid Sensitivensss,

Some people render themselves
unhappy unnecessarily by morbid
sensltlveness. They seem to be
on the alert at all times to detect
Sights or insults and resent MANY
injuries that, even when real, hav9
been inflicted upon them unwit-
tlngly. Super-sensitive people ars
generally very timid and usually
have very good opinion of them
selves. If they were not tlmid
they would by self assertion dissi-
pate all doubt as to the attitude
OF other people toward them; il
they were not inordinately conceit
ed they would not imagine that
everything said or done relate
to themselves. This super-seasi-
tive disposition does not serv4
any useful purpose and only max
its victim unhappy, and, as ii j.
a cultivated disposition, one may
guard against its development
Nearly all people talk and ret
with no ulterior purpose, sua,
this being the case. it is foolish
to find mysterious meanings III
what they say or do. One ma!
is busy with his own projects;
he passes his super-sensitivc friend
with a bare acknowledgment ol
the latter's presence, not becaus.
he has any i'll feeling but he IS e..
crossed in other matters. t'-.
the victim of sensitive disposi
tion Immediately sets his fancy
work inventing explanations
this behavior, all of them wide :,
the mark and all having soir
personal bearing. Another frlet
comes along who is i'll a par,Ic.
larly good humor and is eff
SIMPLY because he wants to i
to somebody. Fancy again rnt
riot i'll trying to explain this q'.-ts
natural conduct, and again la9
sensitive man is wide afeid, o,.-
cause he always sets himself " a.
the central figure in the action o.
his fellow men. Innocent remark
are twisted by him from their nat
ural and obvious meaning, much ~
Benedict found signs oil love i'll
Beatrice's remark, against my
will I am sent to bid you come in
to dinner the only difference
being that the morbid sensitive
man always gets derogatory
meaning out of the mysteri5-
created by his imagination: II.
: foundation of all this misrepI4-
sentation and unhappiness j. ~
J egotism that dares not assert It
) self. Only weak people sliief
7 from it-those who hold very Z 81
Z opinions of themselves, bat an
l afraid to assert themselves !.
e they have a grievance, real o. lnl
t aginary, they do not go with j 5si
the man responsible therefor, ~
S content themselves with compl,.ia
e ings to friends, who can do no..l
= ing for them. And thus th.
: grievance remains to rankle r',eil
g (which bolder person would .1a~-
y swept away by an explasatl34
d Such super-sensitiveness sho4ld =
}, avoided not merely because ! IS ,
g source of unhappiness to one
u self, but because it is unjust I.
< others. The egotism upon which !
es is founded is of petty chacac5e
ts secret, not self-assertive. y i
20 itself, is vice to be corrected
to Then the habit of brooding ove
IS injuries, real or supposed, le ba
one. Frankness would SWEEP ava
e. imaginary grievances anc 'r"ul
ut not aggravate real ones. !. on
In thinks he has been injured .
IS another in speech or acton II
lie frank thing to dois to go to lli
We and ask an explanation. Il noti
at ing was meant, as will be TIE -:
nine times out of ten, the ma z
nary grievance disappears at"nct
if the grievance is real the iact
established beyond any doubt, az
that is better than to have y
- matter of uncertainty. TIE etraI
manly fellow is never in dang
of becoming super-sensitivc; II
therefore we'll to cultivatc.n op,
~ disposition, and, as ruiz, . u
=; ordinary meanings out 2. VII
people say, not to seek tor nlysta
les in their remarks.
to 1t often happens that the doctor IS {
ith of town when most neede6 ilc :
ion year old daughter of J. Y. 5cGeackf
- Caddo, Ind. Ter, was threa.e,ed :.
Group. He writes: My wife INSISTED i
/ go for the doctor at once, hl.t q H. 5
i've out of town purchased bottie 81 Cia-
ing berlain's Cough Remedy, which relie'
,ers the child Immediately" a bottle O :