Since newspapers began incorporating reader comments at the bottom of articles, Arthur Miller's observation that "a good newspaper is a nation talking to itself" has become more relevant than ever. But parallel to the grand national and international conversation runs the personal dialogue of each journalist and each reader. It's a secret dialogue, yet one whose terms we can intuit, because we humans are made of similar stuff and our inner voices resonate with similar thoughts.
That's why, amidst books that explain the intricacies of the urgent world, today I say "Good morning" to you, speaking with two small volumes that are worthwhile because they speak of you and me, without us being you or me. Both are written by authors with brilliant lives, who experienced a significant setback that is resolved with a hymn to self-esteem.
Ramon Ribera-Mariné has written To get sick with God as a crutch (Publications of the Abbey of Montserrat), a simple yet spectacular treatise of wisdom for facing old age, however long it may last and whatever one's health may be. It begins with a warning that illuminates everything: "Associating misfortune, illness, or premature death with a remote, hidden fault is a mistake because life is meant for self-improvement, not punishment."
And Dr. Oriol Mitjà has just written Where light is born (Column) with a subtitle as explicit as it is poignant: "A Tale of My Depression: From Fragility to Resilience." The honesty and tenderness with which the arrival of "the harsh veil that dulled the colors" is written leaves one speechless. Here we find discoveries of youth and early adulthood: "Happiness doesn't depend on comforts. It has more to do with connection and lived experiences." We are fragile and strong at the same time. But above all, we must not abandon ourselves to loneliness or sadness.
