Why do people often feel bad in good environments and good in bad environments? Why did Mother Teresa think that affluent Westerners often seemed poorer than the Calcutta poor, the poorest of the poor? The paradox comes to pass because the impoverishments and enrichments of a self in a world are not necessarily the same as the impoverishments and enrichments of an organism in an environment.
People often experience discomfort in positive settings and find happiness in negative ones due to the disconnection between personal fulfillment and environmental factors. This phenomenon suggests that one's emotional state is influenced by more than just external circumstances. For instance, Mother Teresa observed that wealthy individuals in Western societies can sometimes feel emotionally poorer than the destitute in Calcutta, indicating a disparity between material wealth and emotional richness.
The paradox highlights that the challenges and rewards experienced by an individual do not always coincide with the conditions of their surroundings. It emphasizes that personal struggles and joys stem from deeper existential issues, which may not align with the apparent quality of one’s environment. Thus, emotional well-being often transcends material conditions, reflecting a more complex relationship between the self and the world.
