Chapter 68
When a Parent Shatters Your Saint
Before the end of the course of drinking the waters, Prince Shtcherbatsky, who had gone on from Carlsbad to Baden and Kissingen to Russian friends—to get a breath of Russian air, as he said—came back to his wife and daughter. The views of the prince and of the princess on life abroad were completely opposed. The princess thought everything delightful, and in spite of her established position in Russian society, she tried abroad to be like a European fashionable lady, which she was not—for the simple reason that she was a typical Russian gentlewoman; and so she was affected, which…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Disillusionment Sorting Drill
Choose one person, community, or institution you once idealized. Make two short lists: what remains verifiably good, and what now seems image-driven or exaggerated. Then write one rule for how you will admire without surrendering critical judgment.
Consider:
- •Use concrete evidence, not mood alone
- •Separate disappointment in a person from rejection of every value they represented
- •Decide one boundary that protects you from future hero worship
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time an elder's skepticism annoyed you at first but later helped you see more clearly.
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