It is said that the poet Merejkovsky, at the age of fifteen, asked Dostoevsky for an opinion on the quality of his first verses. After judging them to be worthless, the experienced novelist justified himself by saying that in order to write well, one has to suffer. Suffer! Of course, there is a lot of truth in this statement: nothing important can be understood before a good dose of suffering, and therefore nothing important can be expressed. But the curious thing is to see that in the hardships, exactly in them, a spark springs up as a response to the circumstantial challenge. The mind, affected, suffers and needs to overcome the situation. Then it has to understand it, scale it, absorb it. The effort ultimately enhances it. Suffering leaves a mark, and the result brings a lesson. It is by experiencing it several times that the writer is able to have something authentic to say.
Category: Notes
The Sense of Duty Is, as Long as It Is Put Into Practice…
The sense of duty is, as long as it is put into practice, the most efficient fuel for a satisfying life. Beyond this, however, it is worth highlighting the splendid effects experienced by those who keep the desire to learn burning throughout their lives. It does not matter at what age, it is enough to feel it and the days dawn differently, one wakes up with a different motivation. And the whole process of learning, with its small progress, overcoming difficulties, broadening the horizon of study, makes the days more stimulating and generates the expectation of tomorrow. Similar satisfaction, so long-lasting and so healthy, may not be found in any other way.
It Is Always Admirable When The Historian…
It is always admirable when the historian or biographer manages to clearly show us the man behind the work. This is a very difficult task, full of pitfalls that can jeopardize any effort to understand. But when successful, it gives the reader invaluable material, not only in terms of the connection between life and work on which it depends, but also in terms of the larger picture of existence. We see there habits, beliefs, conflicts, ideas, predispositions, and whether we identify with them or not, we increase our arsenal of possibilities, we understand life better. In short, this material enables us to learn from the example of a real man.
The Certainty While Living in This World…
The certainty while living in this world is having to confront disturbances over and over again, no matter how much one isolates oneself or avoids confrontation. Disturbances will come as the day goes by, whether in big or small ways, and all it takes is a little involvement to notice them. That is why it is good to take advantage of those moments when the act undertaken flows as lightly as possible, without obstacles; soon, they will appear.