Satisfaction in life depends on getting two things right: Love and Work. These are also the hardest elements to sort out. These two essays take us on a fascinating and yet oddly consoling tour of some of the greatest sorrows we are likely to encounter in our quest for fulfilled working and love lives.

Satisfaction in life depends on getting two things right: Love and Work. These are also the hardest elements to sort out.

These two essays take us on a fascinating and yet oddly consoling tour of some of the greatest sorrows we are likely to encounter in our quest for fulfilled working and love lives.

The point isn’t to sadden us; it is to illuminate where some of the problems tend to lie, and to guarantee that we will feel less alone with, less confused by, and less sorrowful about the challenges that stand in the way of securing more satisfying occupations and relationships.