During the Routine, It Is Difficult…

During the routine, it is difficult to remember the exceptional. To remember it, the mind seems to require silence and solitude. So it easily forgets it, and if it does not make a daily effort to preserve its image, it only becomes aware of it in unexpected, detached, disconnected moments, wasting the bulk of the benefits of its perception. But it is fortunate that the memory comes back and generates a new surprise: in this way the hope is renewed that, this time, it will not be allowed to fade away.

Much of the Real Awkwardness…

Much of the real awkwardness to which man submits is eliminated as soon as he learns to say no. Because, in short, embarrassment is nothing more than an inner protest, it is the inner self expressing disagreement with external conditions, remorse for the “no” swallowed. Anyone who betrays himself experiences it. In this sense, it is better to be crazy and have the courage to assume oneself, firmly denying everything that does not suit.

It Is Difficult to Imagine a Prolonged State…

It is difficult to imagine a prolonged state in which the personality is not disturbed by conflicting elements. Such disturbances, whether external or internal, cannot be totally overcome. What they can is to be tolerated, analyzed and absorbed. And the personality is made by what remains after confronting them. If we think about it for a moment, it can sometimes be indignant to realize that the shock is often gratuitous and damaging. But then we realize that personality is an effort, and we see the merit in persisting in its depuration.

From an Educational Point of View…

From an educational point of view, a bad example has the advantage of scandalizing. That is why it sticks in the memory more easily, and sometimes so strongly that remembering it causes immediate revulsion and eliminates the possibility of repeating it. Thus, there are cases in which it is much more effective in conveying a lesson that the best examples would only scratch at if they tried to do so. The scandal is not forgotten, nor is it immunized.