Self-respect is produced by inner triumphs, not external ones. - David Brooks

Hyper-individualism rests upon an emancipation story. The heroic self breaks free from the stifling chains of society. The self stands on its own two feet, determines its own destiny, secures its own individual rights. Hyper-individualism defines freedom as absence from restraint. In this way, hyper-individualism gradually undermines any connection not based on individual choice — the connections to family, neighborhood, culture, nation, and the common good. Hyper-individualism erodes our obligations and responsibilities to others and our kind.

Recovering from suffering is not like recovering from a disease. Many people don’t come out healed; they come out different.

Our perception of the world is a fantasy that coincides with reality.