Do you mysteriously enjoy sad songs and rainy days? Have you ever experienced what C.S. Lewis called “the inconsolable longing for we know not what”?
Our artists, writers, and wisdom traditions have for centuries explored the hidden power of the bittersweet state of mind:
“This longing
You express is the return message.
The grief you cry out from
Draws you toward union.”
This is one of my all-time favorite quotes, from one of my all-time favorite poems, Love Dogs, by the 12th century Sufi poet, Jalal al-Din Rumi. It explores the idea that Rumi returned to again and again: that “Longing is the core of the mystery/Longing itself brings the cure.”
I’ve been exploring these Bittersweet ideas for the last five years, too – including in my brand-new TED talk: “The hidden power of sad songs and rainy days”. If these ideas resonate with you, you might like to check it out, here!
Susan Cain is the New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet: How Longing and Sorrow Make Us Whole, Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can’t Stop Talking. Her TED talks on the power of introverts and the hidden power of sad songs and rainy days have been viewed over 40 million times. LinkedIn named her the Top 6th Influencer in the World, just behind Richard Branson and Melinda French Gates. Susan partners with Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant and Dan Pink to curate the Next Big Idea Book Club. They donate all their proceeds to children’s literacy programs.
