@Fido,
Quote:If you have not had your fill of the poison of pain, then wait. Real pain that is chronic and unending is a form of madness, and even those who find relief in meditation, contemplation or medication will find their minds in that dark pool without respite. To think well is impossible, and to think at all is a miracle, and to think clearly is beyond belief. Sometimes, to endure is all that can be asked of a person.
&
Quote:Life is an enormous thing, and no person should be well who does not feel blessed.
Forgive me, but one could read into these quotes paired like this and derive a kind of "you deserve it" attitude. I doubt you mean it that way, because obviously you didn't feel like your brother in law deserved to be unwell.
Also, if you're speaking from personal experience, your writing comes off as insightful and well-organized, so, according to your criteria of being unable to think clearly, you don't have The Big Hurt.
But the second quote reminds me of something a vague Internet acquaintance told me a few days ago. I was talking about how I had driven my life into the ground again and again through drug addiction fueled by bi-polar (and alternatingly bi-polar fueled by drugs), and I feel like there's not much I can do at this point.
He said, "Well, you can try to save the little bit of life you still have."
That goes along with what you said in the second quote. Both quotes are true.