120 philosophical essays you must read in your life

Chapter 80

Chapter 5 Friendship Warms Life

The pain of others does not bring us the comfort of relieving pain in the true sense.Section 1 Comfort

[French] Voltaire

One day, the great philosopher Sidophel met a woman who really had reason to be sad.In order to alleviate the grief in the other party's heart, Sidophel said: "Madame, the daughter of the great Henry IV, the queen of England, once suffered the same suffering as you. She was expelled from the country. At sea, she met the great king. The storm, and nearly died there. She also witnessed her husband Charles I being guillotined."

"I feel very sorry for her." After the lady finished speaking, she sighed again about her ordeal.

"But," said Sidophel, "don't you forget Mary Stuard. She is really in love with a musician, a baritone with a fine voice. Her husband The musician was killed in front of her. Then Mary's close relative and friend, Queen Elizabeth, who claimed to be a virgin, put her in prison for 18 years, and then hung her head with a black cloth on the guillotine."

The lady raised her head and said, "That was extremely cruel." After speaking, she kept thinking about her own grief.

The philosopher who comforted her said again: "Queen of Naples, the beautiful Jena was caught and strangled, maybe you have heard of it?" The lady nodded and said: "I probably have a little Remember."

The philosopher had to go on: "I have to tell you the story of another queen: when I was young, she was usurped after supper, and died on a desert island." The lady replied: " I know all about it."

"There is also a famous princess, I want to tell you what happened to her, and I have comforted her! She, like all beautiful princesses, has a lover. Unfortunately, her father came into her bedroom and bumped into her. Her lover. When her father saw her face so excited, and found the young man's face burning and eyes shining like rubies, he was disgusted, and he slapped the young man. The princess' lover took a Smashed the pliers on her father's head, and now it's hard to heal, but there are scars. The princess fainted, jumped out of the window, and broke her foot, and she can still walk with a limp, although The waist is beautiful. The young man was sentenced to death for smashing the head of a prince. You can easily imagine how the princess felt when she saw her lover being taken to hang. For a long time, I often Went to see her in prison. All she told me was her ordeal."

The lady asked, "Then why don't you allow me to think of my suffering?"

The philosopher said: "Because that's what you shouldn't think about. There are so many noble ladies who have suffered so much, you shouldn't be discouraged and desperate. You have to think about Ecube and Niobe." The lady replied: "If I had been what happened to these two, or to so many beautiful queens or princesses, when you were comforting them, and told them my troubles, do you think they would listen? ?”

Soon, the philosopher's only son died, and the philosopher was devastated.The lady asked someone to make a list of all the emperors whose sons had died, and handed it to the philosopher.The philosopher looked at it and thought it was right, but it did not lessen his sorrow.

After three months, they met again, and it was strange to find that each other was in a good mood.So they asked someone to erect a beautiful statue for time, with the following inscription:

Only you can be comforting.

【Together with you】

Only time can truly relieve the pain in our hearts and bring comfort.When our friends suffer from pain, all we can do is stand with them and face them with empathy.Empty and cumbersome advice may not have good results.Silently give them wholehearted blessings, accompany them through the sorrow of the years, and heal the wounds in their hearts.With you along the way, the life of a friend is no longer lonely.Giving is an intense joy in itself!

(End of this chapter)