Big picture Quote by Nicole Hardy
““I can't bear to look at the screen itself, the women in pastels, like so many Jordan almonds. The men in suits, wearing equally angelic expressions. Members just like men, ostensibly. Who have vowed to be obedient to God's laws, and to repent of their sins. They've promised to be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, and virtuous; they've promised to be hopeful, and to endure all things, to seek after what is lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy. Only then will God provide a lasting solution to their loneliness and frustration. I imagine they comfort themselves, like I do, with the game of "wouldn't it be worse." Wouldn't it be worse to have a sick child, ailing parents, or a flesh-eating virus? Wouldn't it be lonelier to be trapped in a dying marriage, scarier to have crippling financial problems or to spend one's retirement fund on failed in vitro treatments? Wouldn't it be worse to live a life absent of faith, absent of purpose, absent of the love of God? I imagine they tell themselves, like I do, that a soul-crushing loneliness is a small price to pay, given the big picture. Everyone suffers. Loneliness is the human condition. And after the tests of our faith, we will triumph.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Unspecified, contemporary fiction, 2020s
The passage reflects on how people rationalize suffering by comparing it to worse hypothetical hardships, highlighting loneliness as a universal human condition and the hope for eventual triumph after trials.
In simple terms: People compare their pain to worse imagined problems, seeing loneliness as universal and hoping for eventual triumph.
Recognize and confront loneliness directly rather than minimizing it.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- marriage struggles
- financial hardship
- health crises
- spiritual doubt
- personal loss
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you truly address loneliness in your life?
- What does "triumph after trials" look like for you?
The text may overgeneralize suffering, ignoring systemic factors that cause pain.