Illness is the night-side of life, a more onerous citizenship. Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Everyone is healthy until they get sick, at which point they become a citizen of the kingdom of the sick.
- In plain terms
- All people live with the possibility of illness, not just those who are currently sick.
- What can you take from it?
- Health is temporary; everyone eventually faces illness.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does illness change identity?
- What does it mean to be well?
Another view
Some people may go through life without serious illness.
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