Catharsis

“But that night as I drove back from Montreal, I at least discovered this: that there is no simple explanation for anything important any of us do, and that the human tragedy, or the human irony, consists in the necessity of living with the consequences of actions performed under the pressure of compulsions so obscure we do not and cannot understand them.” - Hugh Maclennan

I came across this quote while reading an article on programming and I went to look up the author of the book from which it was quoted. On the wikipedia page I came across the word catharsis as describing the contents of this book. You can check it out. Basically it was that a catharsis is "a sudden emotional breakdown or climax that constitutes overwhelming feelings of great pity, sorrow, laughter or any extreme change in emotion that results in the renewal, restoration and revitalization for living." I have now added this book to my wishlist. I am curious to read what the man went through. But also because I experienced a "catharsis" of my own by the mere fact that I moved to a new environment. It is a word that describes a situation that I feel familiar with but could not put into words before now.