Chapter 161
The Point of No Return
Anatole had lately moved to Dólokhov’s. The plan for Natalie Rostóva’s abduction had been arranged and the preparations made by Dólokhov a few days before, and on the day that Sónya, after listening at Natásha’s door, resolved to safeguard her, it was to have been put into execution. Natásha had promised to come out to Kurágin at the back porch at ten that evening. Kurágin was to put her into a troyka he would have ready and to drive her forty miles to the village of Kámenka, where an unfrocked priest was in readiness to perform a marriage ceremony over…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Own Momentum Trap
Think of a situation in your life where you kept going with something even though warning signs suggested you should stop. Map out the progression: What was the initial decision? What small commitments followed? At what point did stopping feel more costly than continuing? Who or what encouraged you to keep going?
Consider:
- •Consider both the emotional and practical costs that kept you moving forward
- •Identify who benefited from your continued investment in the situation
- •Think about what information or perspective might have helped you stop sooner
Journaling Prompt
Write about a current situation where you might be experiencing momentum blindness. What would it cost you to stop versus continue? What would you tell a friend in your exact position?
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