Ortega y Gasset, Antonio Machado, Pío Baroja… Spanish literature has given me some memorable reads. None, however, have provoked in me a feeling similar to what I experienced after coming into contact with Unamuno, who seemed like a family member to me. There are cases like this in literature: a line separates admiration, empathy, and appreciation from this unmistakable feeling of identification. And it is always special to see in an author a member of one’s own species, whose concerns are those intimately felt, whose expression vocalizes something that could be said by oneself. Rare, but when it occurs, it shows that there is no untransmittable individuality; there have always been and always will be others who, through literature, can understand.
Category: Notes
“Time Has Passed”
Not everyone is fortunate enough to experience in this life the pedagogical sensation that “time has passed.” This sensation, which varies depending on circumstances, usually points to the consequences of having postponed a decision. However, there are times when it shows very clearly that a decision has indeed been made. This happens to those who, after a certain age, observe their old acquaintances, some of whom were close until just yesterday, and realize that they have all taken a path, accepted what life had to offer, made choices, continued their parents’ work. Few can experience this, for they are precisely those who did not act as expected, transgressing the natural course of life, breaking with the pattern. Then, “time has passed”: one can no longer go back, nor reintegrate into the norm; one has decided without realizing it. And how quickly it all happens! Now, everything becomes very clear, and the fortunate one who experiences it can finally commit to his decision forever.
It Is Necessary to Have Compassion…
It is necessary to have compassion because, as Buddhism says, suffering is very evenly distributed, and we almost never know what motivates an action. We judge automatically, and rarely reflect on our ability to judge, which is non-existent when based on mere conventions. Man is nothing. He benefits himself, not his neighbor, when he tries to understand. And when he does not understand, something can be gained by pity; nothing by condemnation.
All Long-Term Planning Involves Accepting…
All long-term planning involves accepting the unpleasant feeling that will surely arise during the process, and it will seem to do everything to ensure that the plan is quickly abandoned, since the goal is very distant and it may be better to engage in something more rewarding. The worst, without a doubt, is when the plan aims only to create conditions for another plan to be executed, and this other plan alone seems to have true value. Here, one feels the full weight of the universe, blocking possibilities, unfair and antagonistic; one feels the pain of apparent stagnation, powerlessness in the face of the world, the inability to do anything effective to speed up the process. And so a terrible frustration arises. However, by mentally moving forward in time, visualizing the completed goal, it is possible to arm oneself with the certainty that everything will have been worth it. But first of all, it is necessary to be aware of the effort required, because not everyone will be willing to endure the bad days.