The Concrete Wall

It is always a pleasure to reflect on those moments when expectation crashes at high speed into a concrete wall, completely destroying itself. There are few moments so favorable to a fair reflection, to a sensible examination of reality as those in which the present is disappointing and the future discouraging. Perhaps this is why pessimism is, in philosophy, the most consistent posture: because when it is based on such strong and obvious experiences, it is almost irrefutable. Moments like these have the power to impose, all at once, humility and silence.