W: LP: LG: FD: BK

Further on in the first section we are reading, at the time of the visit to the elder at the monastery, I found the character's observation on sin interesting. I quote it here:

"Above all, do not lie to yourself. A man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where he does not discern truth either in himself or anywhere around him, and thus falls into disrespect towards himself and others. Not respecting anyone, he ceases to love, and having no love, he gives himself up to passions and coarse pleasures, in order to occupy and amuse himself, and in his vices reaches complete bestiality*, and it all comes from lying continually to others and to himself. A man who lies to himself is often the first to take offense. It sometimes feels very good to take offense, doesn't it? And surely he knows that no one has offended him, and that he himself has invented the offense and told lies just for the beauty of it, that he has exaggerated for the sake of effect, that he has picked on a word and made a mountain out of a pea--he knows all of that, and still he is the first to take offense, he likes feeling offended, it gives him great pleasure, and thus he reaches the point of real hostility..."

In this passage the elder is speaking to the father of the dysfunctional Karamazov family, Fyodor Karamazov, and he nails the man's character. This portrayal of sin's progression is accurate and realistic because not only does the Bible point this out (*see Romans ch. 1), but in our everyday lives, we see in ourselves and in others this progression--unless it is reversed by the work of the Holy Spirit.