A good point at which a writer can truly consider himself a professional in the literary arts is when he begins to take pleasure in the study of language, that is, when he begins to enjoy delving into daunting grammar books, highly complex linguistic studies, and the like. It is when, in this realm that is inscrutable to most, he finally feels at home. And it is when he realizes he is capable of truly polishing a text, paying close attention to details, aware of the immense power of words, of the fact that, sometimes, a single word is enough to change everything in a speech or a narrative. Every difficult skill, mastered with great effort, usually bestows this reward: the difficulty begins to delight. But there are skills whose difficulty has a clear limit; in the letters, there seems to be none.
Category: Notes
Wakes Teach Us That Success Fades…
Wakes teach us that success fades before memory does, and that, even in life, the degrees of satisfaction one can attain vary greatly. At a wake, in the presence of the lifeless body, the marks left by the deceased on the minds of those who knew him are revealed to still be alive. And one realizes, as there are different wakes, that there is the cultivation and enjoyment of different goods. Death merely lays bare what was gratifying, whether lasting or perishable, whether selfish or shared, whether the marks left were good or bad. The deceased, as Mallarmé’s verse says, becomes what he is; and it is through this final form that one can assess the success and validity of the simultaneous convergence of all that was collected throughout life.
Success in the World Depends More…
Success in the world depends more on opportunities than on abilities, because the latter depend on the former to develop. And it is opportunities that not only pave the way, but also determine the greater or lesser number of obstacles, facilitating or hindering progress. To a certain extent, it is possible to create them; yet there is no shortage of examples of futile efforts and wasted abilities. After all, it is making the best of what one has, and being grateful for even the smallest of things, which always seem to be there, that has given rise to the manifestation of value.
Alongside the Clichéd Exaltation…
Alongside the clichéd exaltation, there are, here and there in literature, more sober but much more genuine examples of the recognition of nature’s real, everyday, and sometimes marvelous influence on the author’s life. Some might find it strange that they are not so frequent, and others might judge them as idealistic as the former; but the fact is that, on the one hand, it takes experience and open eyes to notice it, and, on the other, one must admit that they are simply real. Sometimes, a window is enough. And the landscape, when least expected, when most needed, invades the house, invades the spirit, transforms the mood, and gives the situation a new direction. Regrettably, there are those who go through life without experiencing it; but one must be aware that such a thing is possible, and, having that awareness, there is nothing more reasonable than the effort to make it happen.