"She was persuaded..."

I finished reading 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen a couple days ago. I really enjoy that book! I think it may be my favorite Austen novel...but anyway. If you haven't read it, you really should; it's a lovely little story about true love and true character.

I really don't want this to be a book report, but I do want to comment on a couple things that really stood out to me. Anne, the leading lady of the book, was persuaded by a dear friend to not marry Captain Wentworth. Eight years have passed and Captain Wentworth comes back from the Navy and that's where the book picks up.
-My first question is this. What would a person, a friend see in you after eight years of separation? Anne had grown more mature, responsible and tenderhearted. What are we doing to teach ourselves? Are we working toward goals of maturity and wisdom? Or do we just rattle along like the gigs in the old England countryside, seeing beautiful things but only realizing their importance after having broken a wheel and having to stop and repair?

Of what are we persuaded? Do we actually have principles that we believe are true and just that we will stick to no matter the pain involved? Anne was persuaded to not marry Captain Wentworth because of the poor connection and the lack of support. She was poorly advised and she endured eight years of emotional pain, but she believed it more important to respect the wishes of her family and friends then to elope. I'm not justifying her actions, or taking sides with the issue; I'm asking you to think, what do you believe? Of what are you persuaded?

So..there are just some thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head. Of course it's just a story, and I'm definitely not an authority on Austen's work, but these are some things to think about. Real things about real life.

"Thinking is like loving and dying. Each of us must do it for himself." ~Josiah Royce