I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
Edward AbbeyRead
Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Interpretation
Conflict in relationships can indicate a deeper need for each other.
This quote by Edward Abbey suggests that contrary to the common perception that only harmonious couples are truly connected, even those who argue frequently may share a profound bond. The intensity of conflict can sometimes reflect a passionate interdependence, implying that love can manifest in various forms, including through struggles and disagreements.
In practice
During a relationship counseling session, when discussing the dynamics of love and conflict.
I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Man's deliberate destruction of his own habitat -- planet Earth -- could serve as a mighty theme for a mighty book worthy of a modern Melville or Tolstoy. But our best fictioneers confine themselves to domestic drama -- soap opera with literary trimmings.
Men at most differ as Heaven and Earth, but women, worst and best, as Heaven and Hell.
Baboons who have friends do much better in terms of their physiology. And if that applies to a baboon, it could certainly apply for a human.
One of the better guarantors of ending up in a good relationship: an advanced capacity to be alone.
Keeping your emotions all locked up is something thatβs unfair to you. When you clearly know how you feel. You should say it.
Empathy is the faculty to resonate with the feelings of others. When we meet someone who is joyful, we smile. When we witness someone in pain, we suffer in resonance with his or her suffering.
I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends.
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