The affliction of the intellectual is to find himself powerless against the natural course of thought of his time. Even if he decides to do something, it will be useless and frustrating. The qualities he needs to impose and influence are often opposite to those he cultivated to become himself. But it should not be regretted, because in the end the “thought of his time” only matters as raw material for his reflections. Fads fall as they arise, taking their ideologists and enthusiasts with them. One should not and cannot expect anything but a few isolated individuals who make intellectual life gratifying.
Category: Notes
It Is Always Beautiful to Dedicate Oneself to Lost Causes
It is always beautiful to dedicate oneself to lost causes, but it is unwise to allow oneself to fry one’s nerves for them. To dedicate and expect nothing in return; to dedicate in spite of inevitable failure: that is enough. And for the rest, let things go as they should, worrying only as one worries about whether the day will be rainy or sunny. To do what is worthy and comfort in conscience; and the rest, let it be as it has to be…
Fun and Luck
It is fun to imagine Fernando Pessoa picking up a napkin in a bar, scribbling a few lines in an almost illegible scribble, and throwing it, laughing, into his big trunk. And to spend his life laughing as he repeats the same scene over and over again, imagining the monstrous work he was delegating to men he has never even met. So leave a gigantic and disorganized paperwork, and to hell with the editors! It is certainly fun and tempting. However, Pessoa, who admirably turned disorganization into a method, was lucky, first, to find editors, and second, to find them competent. Anyone daring to follow his example must therefore have a lot of faith, as well as develop that enviable ability to confront a mess by accepting it as what one has devoted one’s life to producing.
The Role of Creativity in a Work
The role of creativity in a work is simply to direct the effort. This, and not that, is what will make the work come to fruition. Naturally, a work in which the first does not shine will seem weak: but it is still a finished work, something that will never have the one who idealizes the role of creativity, believing it capable of materializing without boring work. One stimulates the brain and it points out paths: the legs, however, are the ones to follow them.