History and Self-Perpetuating Resentment

History and Self-Perpetuating Resentment
Karl Marx (1818-1883), circa 1875. Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images
Theodore Dalrymple
Updated:
Commentary

One of the most important but least acknowledged psychological factors that affects a person’s way of being in the world is his conception of history. It can make one glad to be alive, or bitter and resentful against all that exists. These days, bitterness and resentment are usually taken as signs of enlightenment.

Theodore Dalrymple
Theodore Dalrymple
Author
Theodore Dalrymple is a retired doctor. He is contributing editor of the City Journal of New York and the author of 30 books, including “Life at the Bottom.” His latest book is “Embargo and Other Stories.”
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