Tag: behavior

It is very difficult to imagine an atheist who has been so unfortunate as to have never, in his entire life, encountered an example of exemplary virtue. For, undoubtedly, it is one thing to perform an isolated act, and quite another to have virtue so deeply ingrained in one’s very nature that the act occurs frequently, spontaneously, and without reflection. And if there is one thing that experience demonstrates, it is that such natures are always linked to religion. Hence, if the atheist is at all sincere, he is forced to ask himself whether religion does not, to some extent, determine the capability to exemplify virtue through one’s personality. And if he admits that he would like to possess at least a little of what abounds in such examples, he will undergo an existential crisis. Unfortunately, no matter how much he may want to, he will not be able to change the lessons that experience has taught him.

It is certainly necessary to see, or at least try to see, existence as a script that is being written in chapters laden with meaning, connected to a whole whose ultimate significance can only be surmised. However, as soon as one does so, one will see that the planned script does not unfold according to plan, and that, with luck, one can only manage to preserve a little of its general direction. And that is when one must reluctantly accept all sorts of obstacles and detours that may seem illogical, useless, or nothing more than unpleasant. Through them, however, one learns humility and patience. And these virtues, when they bear fruit after decades of practice, instill the certainty that there was never any reason to curse.

Some habits are immune to mental condemnation, and no matter how much they are avoided, they remain there, latent, as a tendency that will manifest itself at the first opportunity. In such cases, there is no way to uproot them except through an abrupt and violent act, which usually does not occur unless motivated by intense distress. Thus, it ends up being necessary, and beneficial, to endure all the corruption stemming from them, to the point where the wear and tear is so great, the revulsion so intense, that reason, thoroughly exasperated and incensed, finds the strength needed to say “never again.”

It is interesting to note how rare stories of redemption are in practice, yet how common they are in thought. That is to say, the mind inclined toward dreaming tends to imagine such an arc for its life, without reflecting on whether it would be desirable or, rather, whether it has any practical benefit. Because a dream, even if it does not come true, still exerts an influence. A whole life spent waiting for this great moment! And, at the same time, a whole life lost in dreaming… There are better plots; more modest ones. But such ambiguity highlights the complexity of human psychology. Visualization is necessary; it guides the creative act. But one must ground it and ground oneself while living, not allowing oneself to get lost in thin air. What remains, then, is everyday reality, always less grand than one would like, but in which one can write a real story.