I am sick. I’ve been in bed all weekend. Since we’re both sick, I don’t get any sympathy.
The sick grapes on the chair by the bed lie prone; at the window
The tassel of the blind swings gently, tapping the pane,
As a little wind comes in.
The room is the hollow rind of a fruit, a gourd
Scooped out and dry, where a spider,
Folded in its legs as in a bed,
Lies on the dust, watching where is nothing to see but twilight and walls.
Poem by D.H. Lawrence, Malade
Certain people make a habit of anger. They seethe with resentment, which is very hard for them to overcome. Some psychiatrists consider this chronic bitterness to be a mental disorder called Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder. The scary fact is this happens also to “normal” people who suffer an unexpected setback such as job loss, divorce, or financial shock. I wish there was a simple, green, heart-shaped pill available to cure everyone’s anger!
They feel the world has treated them unfairly. It’s one step more complex than anger. They’re angry plus helpless.
Quotation from Dr. Michael Linden, who estimates 1% to 2% of the population meets the criterion for Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder
Embitterment is a violation of basic beliefs. It causes a very severe emotional reaction… We are always coping with negative life events. It’s the reaction that varies.
Another quotation from Dr. Michael Linden
Good news/Bad news: Scientists in Australia have discovered a Spider-Killer Wasp. They capture and paralyze spiders, which are then eaten alive by the wasps’ larvae. The bad news is… they are wasps.
Crustacean invasion: Beware the green crab (Juneau Empire)
Oh, sick I am to see you, will you never let me be?
You may be good for something but you are not good for me.
Poem by A. E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad