Even if there were only two men left in the world and both of them saints they wouldn't be happy. One them would be bound to try and improve the other. That is the nature of things.
Interpretation
Human nature drives us to seek improvement in others, which can lead to dissatisfaction.
This quote by Frank O'Connor reflects on the inherent nature of humanity, suggesting that even in a perfect context, such as with two saints, happiness is elusive. The constant desire to improve others, and by extension, ourselves, is a fundamental aspect of human interaction that can disrupt tranquility and contentment.
In practice
In a discussion about the challenges of relationships, one might quote this to illustrate the complexity of human interactions.
All I know from my own experience is that the more loss we feel the more grateful we should be for whatever it was we had to lose. It means that we had something worth grieving for. The ones I'm sorry for are the ones that go through life not knowing what grief is.
I believe that ideas such as absolute certitude, absolute exactness, final truth, etc. are figments of the imagination which should not be admissible in any field of science... This loosening of thinking seems to me to be the greatest blessing which modern science has given to us. For the belief in a single truth and in being the possessor thereof is the root cause of all evil in the world.
All these walls that keep us from loving each other as one family or one race - racism, religion, where we grew up, whatever, class, socioeconomic - what makes us be so selfish and prideful, what keeps us from wanting to help the next man, what makes us be so focused on a personal legacy as opposed to the entire legacy of a race.
The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.
The ego doesn't know that the source of all energy is within you, so it seeks it outside.
As you become multi-sensory, you begin to see yourself as a soul first and a personality second. You begin to experience yourself as more than a body and more than a mind. and the circumstances around you as meaningful and designed for your spiritual growth.
I'm doing philosophy like an old woman, first I'm looking for my pencil, then I'm looking for my glasses, then I'm looking for my pencil again.
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