“Gaining knowledge about ourselves is a good thing but it often hurts. It hurts because it hurts to sever our attachments, even to things that are wrong. If we are attached to an image of ourselves that is incorrect, then when we have a chance to learn the truth about ourselves it comes with pain and a sense of loss. So we resist learning about ourselves because we have to give up our illusions. If we had no illusions or assumptions about ourselves then life would be nothing but a blissful succession of learning experiences. It is not our incorrect notions, but our attachment to them, that makes learning painful.”
—Cary Tennis, in an advice column
