“Before we determine how to live in a world where our highest hopes are not satisfied, we must ask, What does one do under such circumstances? One possible reaction is to distill our frustrations into a core of bitterness and resentment. The person who pursues this path is likely to develop a callous attitude, a cold heart, and a bitter hatred toward God, toward those with whom he lives, and toward himself. Because we cannot corner God or life, he releases his pent-up vindictiveness in hostility toward other people. He may be extremely cruel to his mate and inhuman to his children. In short, meanness becomes his dominating characteristic. He loves no one and requires love from no one. He trusts no one and does not expect others to trust him. He finds fault in everything and everybody, and he continually complains. Such a reaction poisons the soul and scars the personality, always harming the person who harbors this feeling more than anyone else.”
Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2010/1963, page 89.
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Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 