Numberless are the worlds wonders, but none more wonderful than man.

Human beings sit oddly at the top of any list of astonishing things, and the astonishment cuts both ways, since the same creature that builds cathedrals also arranges famines. Wonder of that kind is not praise, but the recognition that nothing else on the planet is as capable, as inventive or as dangerous. Holding both halves at once is more honest than either the flattering view or the disgusted one.

When people disappoint you this week, try seeing the strangeness of them rather than only the fault. It makes patience easier and it happens to be more accurate.