My Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life

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October 11, 2009
11 Comment

“You Are the One Who Must Grow Up.”

Dag

“Is life so wretched? Isn’t it rather your hands which are too small, your vision which is muddied? You are the one who must grow up.”
– Dag Hammarskjöld

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  • http://khurtwilliams.com/ Khürt L. Williams

    The whole premise of “happier” is flawed. Happier than what? Is there some baseline against which to measure?

  • Heather

    Thanks for another fantastic quote Gretchen. I agree with Dag. Growing up means taking responsibility and realising you can’t blame everyone else. I’m trying to reveal that truth to my 18 and 20 year old “children”. So this will be enormously helpful.

  • rachelsilver
  • Cliff

    Somebody recently commented on an article, referring to a book stating that “love shines a light upon ourselves, and that many people run from that love because they don’t like what they see in themselves” (paraphrased). I can’t find the comment anymore. Does anyone know what book that was in?

  • http://whynotstartnow.wordpress.com/ Patty – Why Not Start Now?

    Great quote! I’ve just returned from a workshop and this quote reminds me of something the teacher said, “In the midst of abundance, we’re starving ourselves to death.” (Metaphorically, of course.) He was talking about living in a scarcity story, and choosing a small, wretched life instead of a large, visionary life. He also suggested that the only way to grow up is to kick out the inner dictator within that insists on security and control at all costs.

  • http://personaldevelopmentchallenges.com/ Patrice

    Nice quote. I think so, I must grow up now. Think positively and more mature.

  • Baba Yaga

    I find this quite cringe-worthy. Yes, sometimes life is so wretched, even for those – almost all of us in the ‘first world’, if we’re honest – who appear greatly blessed.

    & speaking for myself, I could not grow up until the external circumstances which made my life wretched had at least begun to change. Wretchedness, surely, involves having the minimum necessary conditions for thriving and growth unmet.

    Once those were met, more or less – yes, it was and is my job to take advantage of that change, to consolidate it, to make it part of myself (to whatever extent one truly does, and perhaps that is as well not tested); & if nearing 40 is late to grow up, better now than never. But “grow up” is a terrible, cruel injunction for those whose lives truly are wretched.

    Heh. Something in this must have resonated with you on a very different frequency from that on which it resonated with me!

  • allwomenstalker

    Wonderful! Sometimes, dealing with people who do nothing but mope is just too much.

  • http://www.kimandjason.com Jason of Kim & Jason

    There is definitely a difference between being childlike and childish. That being said, I think if your vision is muddied, you might be better off “growing down.”

  • http://budurl.com/79e2 Nikka

    This is a terrific quote. Makes you want to reflect more on the quality of your own life. Thanks for sharing it!

  • pppoll37

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