Luciano Duarte | Literature and philosophy

The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

I opened The Picture of Dorian Gray with great expectancy. The reason is that Oscar Wilde was one of the most intriguing personalities in history. I remember the words of Carpeaux: “His life was the work of genius; and to genius society has always paid dearly for the uniqueness of his nature”. So I opened the book, eager for the manifestation of genius. I found it. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel that can only be written by a great artist. To begin, with the plot: the story is instigating from the first to the last chapter. The three main characters in the book are very well developed; friends, they represent conflicting faces of a genius mind. Morals are put to the test, art in evidence, social relationships in check and psychological dramas in spark. Basil Hallward, like few others, portrays the personality of an artist. Lord Henry Wotton is a character with impressive vivacity. And Dorian Gray develops into an ingenious arc drawn by Wilde. The work is characterized by courage and psychological acuity: the author does not write in chains, he does not fear rejection. And so he manages to express himself with sincerity and power, delivering unique and real characters. It is obvious: Oscar Wilde will remain slandered forever. But he will never cease to be what he was: a great artist.

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Knowledge and Compound Interest

Knowledge compares to compound interest. Of these Einstein said, “the 8th wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it, he who doesn’t, pays it“. In both cases, the ascent is linked to time and occurs exponentially, i. e., the greater the distance traveled, the greater the acceleration. Scabrous obstacles, with time, become easily overcome, and the momentary possibilities will never represent the future. There is, of course, the caveat: whether in knowledge or in compound interest, progress is conditioned to reinversion.

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Force the Brain

Extremely useful exercise: force the brain, whip it. I say and imagine myself in front of the original Latinos. At first, the sensation of useless effort; then persistence, obsession: and words, forced, fill themselves with meaning. The technique is not new, much less original; useful from strange languages to texts of abstract essence. The brain seems to reward insistence, to work on the basis of punches, coercion. And if, in its vertiginous flow of ideas, it can often get in our way, when bound, compelled, it works tastefully on our behalf.

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Achieving Bliss

Losing our illusions, accepting death, freeing ourselves from financial shackles, laughing at our ridicule, measuring our mediocrity, resisting desire, accepting frustration, annihilating pride, dedicating time to that which fills us with meaning: this is how we achieve bliss, or rather: how we can lick it, until our tongue is dry…

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