More impressive than the deeds described in Milarepa’s biography is the perfect characterization of madness as a necessary constituent of holiness. Just imagining him as he is portrayed, a “skeleton” with greenish skin, a “ghost”, a miserable weakling, dressed in rags… And yet we notice his stubborn will, his total self-denial and the resolution that does not give in to the most intense and basic needs. What is most impressive is that, after assimilating the reasonableness of madness, one ends up realizing that mad, in fact, was everyone else.
Tag: history
The Most Interesting Thing About…
The most interesting thing about any biography is to notice the coincidences that do not seem to be coincidences, and although there is often nothing we can do but identify them, their totality always seems to hold something revealing. There are events whose explanation is one hundred percent useless: the fact itself says more than any possible justification. And they mark, transform, determine, so that sometimes identifying them or not means understanding or not understanding.
It Is Always Admirable When The Historian…
It is always admirable when the historian or biographer manages to clearly show us the man behind the work. This is a very difficult task, full of pitfalls that can jeopardize any effort to understand. But when successful, it gives the reader invaluable material, not only in terms of the connection between life and work on which it depends, but also in terms of the larger picture of existence. We see there habits, beliefs, conflicts, ideas, predispositions, and whether we identify with them or not, we increase our arsenal of possibilities, we understand life better. In short, this material enables us to learn from the example of a real man.
In Fact, We Have to Be Very Careful…
In fact, we have to be very careful with a general history of anything, because it will necessarily hide more than it reveals. Of course, we cannot conclude from this that it is useless, but we must be aware that for each of the conclusions it may draw, there will be contradictory examples in the specific history of the events covered. So, while the tremendous effort involved in producing a general history cannot be overlooked, it is clear that the best history is always micro-history, and it is on this that any serious study should focus.