It is impossible not to enjoy a good fisherman’s tale, even if we do not believe a word of it. But here, the adventures, exaggerations, and even absurdities provoke laughter rather than aversion. Why? It is interesting to note that there is this type of lie that entertains, stimulates, and generates a positive feeling in the listener. And it opens the door to an entire literary genre in which creativity is free to manifest itself. The more ingenious and implausible the story, the more easily it is sometimes engraved in the memory, and the more it increases the merit of its author. Perhaps the mystery of this phenomenon is not a mystery at all: in it, the lie only works because it is based on purity of intention.
Tag: literature
It Is Striking to Note That, After Reading…
It is striking to note that, after reading Meetings with Remarkable Men, in which George Gurdjieff recounts, sometimes indifferently, sometimes boastfully, the countless times he took advantage of others’ innocence, manipulated, lied, and deceived, there are still those who want to have him as their spiritual master! It brings to mind that saying from Rio de Janeiro (surely it is from Rio): “Every day a trickster and a sucker go out into the street. When they meet, there’s business.“ Gurdjieff is one of those who reeks of lies, and a connoisseur of this type of nature easily notices that some of his accounts, if not invented, are interspersed with exaggerations and falsifications aimed solely at impressing. What a thing! “Magnetic personality,” “mystical guide,” “spiritual master”… Through these stories that should not be told outside a confessional, Gurdjieff proves himself to be nothing more than a professional con artist.
Sometimes, Even a Notorious Con Artist…
Sometimes, even a notorious con artist, even a fifth-rate ideologue, liar and malicious, can produce very interesting pages when describing his personal experiences. Unless he falsifies them too, he will be able to experience in writing exactly what the great writer experiences. And he will be convincing. There is something special about this: writing offers everyone, without distinction, identical possibilities—and to make the most of them, one need only take the act of writing seriously.
There Is Not a Single Newspaper Article…
There is not a single newspaper article that deserves to be printed and saved for the future, as is done with all literature of value. So how is it possible that so many people read and are convinced of the false importance attributed to newspaper articles? Journalism never brings the reader closer to any truly important issue. What it does is distance him from his individuality and involve him in issues that are completely outside his sphere of influence, that do not interfere with his life, and when they do interfere, it is the kind of interference against which nothing can be done. A practical contribution, therefore, is nil; not to mention that, more often than not, journalism inspires nothing but bad feelings. It is always best to despise it. And, depending on it for one’s livelihood, it is best to leave it and seek another profession. Apart from that, there are good journalists. But a good journalist is a sick man who cannot leave journalism because he suffers from having it as his vocation.