The human psyche evolved in order to defend itself against seeing the truth. To prevent us from catching sight of the mechanism. The psyche is our defense system - it makes sure we'll never understand what's going on around us. Its main task is to filter information, even though the capabilities of our brains are enormous. For it would be impossible for us to carry the weight of this knowledge. Because every tiny particle of the world is made of suffering.

Olga Tokarczuk, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

You know what, sometimes it seems to me we're living in a world that we fabricate for ourselves. We decide what's good and what isn't, we draw maps of meanings for ourselves... And then we spend our whole lives struggling with what we have invented for ourselves. The problem is that each of us has our own version of it, so people find it hard to understand each other.

The best conversations are with yourself. At least there's no risk of a misunderstanding.

“The prison is not outside, but inside each of us. Perhaps we simply don't know how to live without it.”

Prowadź swój pług przez kości umarłych (2009)