What makes the Germanic genius so curious is its extreme perfectionism, present from the highest to the lowest manifestations of the spirit. This causes, above all, a contrast of enormous dimensions between individuals of different inclinations, so that it is surprising to note that in Germanic countries, as in others, there are neighbors on the doorstep and there is social interaction. Perhaps misanthropy has never been practiced with such devotion elsewhere, and perhaps there is no people with a greater number of notable misanthropes — not to mention geniuses…
It Is Always Automatic to Opt for the Least Effort
It is always automatic to opt for the least effort, even though this is often the worst decision. Therefore, wisdom is to consider when instinct has already decided, and to proceed against it again and again. Over time, the brain loses its impetus and, although instinct lives on in it, it seems to get used to the reality that the easier option is almost always the certainty of later frustration.
Literary Idolatry Endures and Ceases Just Like All the Others
Literary idolatry endures and ceases just like all the others: it endures through ignorance, and ceases the moment the idolater realizes that the idolized does not fully conform to his individual convictions. That is why it easily turns into hatred in the most fanatical minds. The other path is that of maturity, which prescribes understanding that a great author will never entirely conform to our thinking; otherwise, he would have nothing to teach us. But how difficult it is, oh, how difficult it is for man to put aside his vanity and recognize in the other the different, how difficult it is to admit and accept the greatness that does not bow to the dictates of his convictions! In short, it’s the usual lesson: great authors are as they are, not as we would like them to be.
In the Phenomenon of Psychography…
In the phenomenon of psychography, nothing impresses as much as the indisputable literary quality of some texts, which fully justifies the process. The intelligence that express itself with elegance and clarity proves, through its form, to be worthy of attention. The expression sustains it and demands the right to a zealous appraisal, free of prejudices, as should be done with anyone whose lucidity shows that there is, at the very least, itself to be conveyed.