The Brothers Karamazov

It is enough that you are distressed at it

I have a vague memory of reading this book years ago—perhaps 10 to 15 years back. I don’t recall anything positive from that reading now, except the fact that I had read it. This Christmas, I came across St. Thomas’s different perspective on Christ and heard that The Brothers Karamazov carries a similar message, so I began reading it casually.

A few pages in, I realized that it is a philosophical treatise that demands careful and thorough study.

I read this page a few days ago, but I’m still hooked on it. “I expect my payment at once—that is, praise—and the repayment of love with love. Otherwise, I am incapable of loving anyone.” I think this is the fundamental problem for most of us (at least for me), with no solution in sight. Disgratitude and unreturned love cause us a lot of suffering.