A Shelter from Compassion

A shelter from compassion! A refuge from mankind! A sanctuary where hurt and need cannot be seen, nor heard, nor felt, nor in any real way permitted to intrude upon our self-preoccupation--this is the haven of our aspiration. The building of the shelter, its scrupulous maintenance, is part of the chief business of our lives. Each one of us according to skills and materials at hand fashions his own little fortified retreat.