Luciano Duarte | Literature and philosophy

There Is a Wall Between Independent Thought and Popular Thought

There is a wall between independent thought and popular thought that almost always makes repugnance between them. The interest of the masses is, by definition, contrary to individual interest. This means that to endorse popular discourse is to be contrary to oneself, is to see one’s own singularity diluted, is to be, in short, a nobody. And, of course, the nobody envies the dissident, the holder of the courage he lacks, so “the nail that stands out is hammered.” The coward rejoices at the approval he gains from his cowardice, feels accepted and safe. On the other hand, he lacks a headstone so he will not be forgotten… That’s all right. His friends will never let him miss the headstone.

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A Thousand Times Sorry

I am sorry, thousand times sorry, but I find it hard to accept… Almost all of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets on the same theme, almost all of Camões’ lyrical poetry chanting the same lament… How is that possible? I say and think myself a barbarian, amputee of my human dimension. But I cannot swallow it. Patience… I cannot and there is nothing to do. Here is the truth: there is a kind of suffering that’s never taken a single breath away from me, it does not arouse my compassion and sometimes it makes me laugh. O indolence! O cruelty!… I will end very, very badly with you…

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Hues of Vanity

What is vanity? Or rather: how does it manifest itself? The immediate impression of vanity in modern times refers to the refinement in dressing, in behaving. Is that reprehensible? I do not think so. The effects of the care in dressing, as well as those of adorning one’s own house, or cultivating a beautiful garden, are positive. The human being respects what is beautiful, he is inspired, he wants to be beautiful as well: beauty, therefore, ramifies. Therefore, I see vanity, in this nuance, as positive. However, there is in this quality a destructive manifestation associated with immodesty, pride, presumption. There is in modern man’s psyche a terrible impulse towards the affirmation of his value. A veiled will, although wild, which manifests itself in the attachment to one’s own ideas, in the need to gain respect, agreement, and whose substance is summed up in immaturity. Someone who takes himself seriously lacks a conscience. How can one look sincerely in the mirror and not laugh?…

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The War Against Falsehood

The awakening of my consciousness was due to the perception of falsehood in the world. Awakening, the ghost decided to engage in combat. Oh, useless war, that so troubled me!… To condemn falsehood is to see oneself quickly contaminated with disgust for people, is to gradually move away from everyone, is to become a misanthrope. And, always in silence, I have turned my mind into a great court. Disgusted with my own essence, averse to sympathy, I could not experience a different end… There is a dose of falsehood without which the world does not exist. Relationships, if not stupid and superficial, need dissimulation. And interest will always be the main driver of human actions. It is accepting, knowing how to deal with, or finding, in a short time, the existence unbearable.

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