Tag: behavior

Almost always, out of pity for these Notes, the comment comes out purified of the real contemporary fact that motivated it. Although the healing effect is undoubtedly palpable, perhaps the commentator seems to exaggerate too much in his unavoidable radicalism. But how difficult it is to comment on current events! That is why it is sometimes necessary to break protocol. At an auction in New York, a “work” consisting of a banana taped to a wall was sold for more than six million dollars. The buyer, is said, has also acquired the right to replicate the “work” as many times as he wants, and it will be up to him to replace the banana when it rots. What can be said? It is undoubtedly a very powerful headline, but what is most impressive is to see in the thousands of articles that the work is not enough, the author is not enough, the price is not enough; but there is an audience, there are connoisseurs, there are promoters, there is a dizzying profusion of interested parties! It is too much! These Notes must be taken care of, because the risk of contagion is real!

The spectacle of publicity is often embarrassing and destructive, and it is better not to watch it. There is little to be gained from it, and it is extremely discouraging to see how the actors degrade themselves in gratuitous disputes, which are almost necessary, since publicity drives everything that is most negative in the dynamics of social relations. It often destroys the good and favors the bad. In short, it is unpleasant to watch…

Perhaps the biggest educational problem in the modern world, especially in metropolitan areas, is that man grows up in an environment almost devoid of immediate concerns and needs, which greatly impairs his perception. Prehistoric man, for example, was forced to be aware of constant threats, to plan for the future to prevent bad weather, knowing that neglect could be fatal. If he ate, he knew very well where his food came from, and he also knew what he had to do today to eat tomorrow. As for modern man, the immense facilities that surround him are not accompanied by the notion of the monstrous difficulty of making them accessible. And so he grows up with a deceptive sense of comfort, taking reality for granted, without the collaboration of his environment to show him how things work.

Sometimes, in youth, inconsequence is an excellent omen, because it shows that the young man is trying to spend his share of stupidity right away. While it could be argued that there are no limits to stupidity, it must also be acknowledged that there is an obligatory and even indispensable minimum expenditure, which, the sooner it is spent, the better. Certain foolishness, once committed, teaches a lot; but there are phases that nullify the benefit of its lessons.