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Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity’s Gate), 1890. Vincent van Gogh, Dutch. Kroller Muller Museum, Otterlo.
1. What do you notice in this work of art?
2. Life is full of sorrow and sadness at times. How do you cope with sorrow?
3. Choose a or b below:
a. Psychologist Shawn Achor found that people are happy based on their attitudes, regardless of their circumstances. Certain habits like journaling, exercising, and meditating contribute to a happy attitude. Which of these practices do you regularly engage in? Which do you want to engage in?
b. King Solomon reflected on life and wrote, “This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot” (Ecclesiastes 5:18). How can Solomon’s advice help us in times of sadness?
4. Van Gogh felt that the Old Man, who experienced deep emotion as he approached death, also had a sense of an eternal home. In fact, he believed that the Old Man contemplating death was evidence for the existence of God. What do you think? Draw a picture or find a digital image displaying your view of sorrow and happiness.
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