I think it’s what afflicted my relative, too, for what it’s worth. When you’re stung by people, it’s hard to see the value in continuing to remain open.

Regarding the accrual of knowledge and its hardening effects on the soul:

> with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

> The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but the same fate overtakes them both.

These quotes come from Ecclesiastes, which does not contain a much of a resolution.

> A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil.

Tao Te Ching makes a similar recommendation: empty hearts and fill bellies. In short, worry less of ideas, and more of literal substances that bind us together (food, drink, and toil).