I have never thought that a Christian would be free of suffering, umfundisi. For our Lord suffered. And I come to believe that he suffered, not to save us from suffering, but to teach us how to bear suffering. For he knew that there is no life without suffering.
Interpretation
Suffering is an inevitable part of life, meant to teach us resilience and endurance.
In this quote, Alan Paton reflects on the nature of suffering as an integral aspect of the human experience, suggesting that even Christ himself endured suffering not merely to alleviate our pain, but to guide us in learning to cope with it. The message emphasizes that suffering is a universal reality and to live a full life, one must learn the art of bearing it gracefully, as it shapes our character and understanding of existence.
In practice
A speaker at a conference on resilience could reference this quote to highlight the importance of learning to cope with life's challenges.
Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that's the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing. Nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him if he gives too much.
Ask yourself not if this or that is expedient, but if it is right.
One day in Johannesburg, and already the tribe was being rebuilt, the house and soul being restored.
What broke in a man when he could bring himself to kill another? What broke when he could bring himself to thrust down the knife into the warm flesh, to bring down the axe on the living head, to cleave down between the seeing eyes, to shoot the gun that would drive death into the beating heart?
It is not permissible to add to one's possesions if these things can only be done at the cost of other men. Such development has only one true name, and that is exploitation.
If you wrote a novel in South Africa which didn't concern the central issues, it wouldn't be worth publishing.
Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no more.
I do not regard a broker as a member of the human race.
Peace and not war is the father of all things.
You only live twice. Once when you are born and once when you look death in the face.
Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you.
This life is not real. I conquered the world and it did not bring me satisfaction.
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