South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-14


dured
From the troubles which never
arrived
Imaginary woes are harder to bear
than are real ones-because in fitting
at shadows we have no real sub
stance 10 fight. When real sorrow
comes we are so busy finding a way
to mend it that we can scarcely find
time TO sit back and think. How can
! endure this?" Actual enduring of
trouble brings all our finest strength
into play for the meeting Of stern
reality. But facing imaginary sor-
rows is simply taking the halter off
your imagination and permitting that
unrestrained steed to plunge you into
abyss after abyss Of woe
Now of all the imaginary woes from
which we suffer unnecessarily, there
is no more agonizing pain for US to
bear than the SORROWS of OVer-sensi-
tiveness.
To be sensitive TO the shades of the
meaning of the harmony of life is
TO be a poet. To be sensitive to the
beapty of a sunset or a rose may
make YOU painter. All sensitive
ness of soul that feels and responds
to beauty is music or poetry whether
or no the one who feels can express.
that quality of self-love that impels
us to 90 through life looking for
sights and hurts and wounds to the
vanity that would be first with all it
loves.
And this form of sensitiveness takes
the form of wearing your heart on
your sleeve for all TO behold and for
any who Will (and many who would
not if it were possible TO avoid the
cOllisiOnD to crush and bruise.
There are plenty of people in the
world who are blindly selfish and will
hurt you whenever YOU put them to
the test of friendship or reliability
And how foolish is it 10 expect loyalty
and consideration from people such as
these when once they have failed YOU
and put YOU in position where with
the least bit Of discernment and judg-
ment YOU might judge them and
transfer that sensitive heart Of yours
at least under covering of your sleeve
and out of harms way
There are other people who are too
lazy TO trouble to avoid hurting your
oVersensitive susceptibiities. From
them too that heart trimmed sleeve
Will get a buffet or two.
And then there are the considerable
folk who care for you and your
friendship and do everything in rea-
son not 10 hurt you or to lacerate
your feelings. But as they can scarce
~ tell on which sleeve that invisible
but extremely tender and bruisable
heart of yours is worn, they too must
grieve you even when they least de-
sire to do so
You can imagine yourself insulted
and injured and abused whenever YOU
let yourself distort the evidence and
so take offense at things that are in
themselves perfectly innocent.
There Is pain enough in the world
without going out of your way TO
find it. But it can be wrested from
almost any set of circumstances or
imaginings. And you can overvalue
tn enature sof people and then under
value their actions and so by expect
ing too much of them and thinking
too badly of their actions YOU can
manage to get yourself very unhappv
over treatment that either is not
worth noticing at all or is clearly not
intended TO hurt you
Keep your judgment Of people clear
and unidealiZed. So it will be good
for human use. And keep your heart
tlrm and sane in its proper place func-
tlonlnS away as blOod-pumping
organ. so it, too. will be good for
human use!