The human mind seeks familiarity not because it is wise, but because it is comfortable. Whether we dwell in fear, longing, pride, or sorrow, once we become accustomed to a certain state, we tend to return to it. Familiarity becomes a refuge, regardless of whether it nourishes or diminishes us. The mind does not ask: Is this true? Is this good? It asks: Have I felt this before? And if the answer is yes, it settles back into it, even if it brings suffering. Hence, we may revise the old maxim: “Familiarity breeds comfort, not contempt.” States of mind, like all habits of being, become self-sustaining. The joyful tend toward joy. The bitter tend toward bitterness. Not because of fate, but because we live most often in the emotional rooms we’ve furnished for ourselves. Some people remain unhappy not because life denies them happiness, but because their minds have grown accustomed to unhappiness. It is what they know. It is what they return to. It becomes a quiet...
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