The Hidden Lives of Sinners

A reader writes, on another thread:

I’m reminded of the introduction to Andre Malraux’s autobiography (entitled oddly, “Anti-Memoirs”). Malraux recalls a conversation with a parish priest in the 1940s, whom he asked what the confessional has taught him about mankind. The priest responds: “First of all, people are much more unhappy than one thinks…and then, the fundamental fact is that there is no such thing as a grown-up person.”

I have a question for readers of this blog who are pastors, psychotherapists, or who have otherwise been involved professionally in listening to ordinary people talk about their problems: What has your experience taught you about mankind?