I read, or rather, tried to read a biographical analysis of Antero signed by a psychoanalyst and judged it so infamous, so frighteningly stupid and fake, that I was tempted to rebut it in a furious manifesto, since I cannot insult the author personally. Unbelievable! The imbecile wants to credit to childhood the resolution of a man half a century old! His entire “analysis” boils down to revolting slanders, painting a noble spirit as an inert slave. I think again, however, and give up the endeavor, as it is absolutely useless. What good would it do to waste my time trying to prove that a psychoanalyst is shallow and foolish? to prove that the offense begins with a being of this kind, limited by such a visor, spewing out hunches about the life of a superior man? What else could he write, after all, since shutting up is impossible for him? And it is not fair to demand from a quadruped the understanding of an Antero. The best, no doubt, is for me to set an example myself: I close the essay, shut up, and pretend he never existed.
Tag: literature
Voltaire, More Than Anyone, Had to Believe…
Voltaire, more than anyone, had to believe in the existence of a superior entity that granted him the grace to hit a prize horse and enjoy a stability that, to the overwhelming majority of mortals, seems like a fable. Voltaire, Voltaire… you have been roundly ungrateful! And look at that! As if this nonsense were not enough, we have a crowd of Boehmes who, unenlightened, feel enlightened. All this seems extraordinary to me. Are these consequences of hope? Is hope based on a need, and therefore absent in the eminent lucky one? Could it, so, be classified as a prize? Perhaps, perhaps…
The Writer Can Sleep Even on the Floor…
It was Faulkner, I think, who said that the writer can sleep even on the floor, but needs a decent place to work. The idea is interesting in many ways. First, it shows the need for seriousness in dealing with one’s work; otherwise, it is difficult to do anything of value. Having a “decent” place to work, even if there are no decent conditions in the rest of life, is a proof of priority, of respect for one’s occupation. Psychologically, it is to know that there is the most important moment of the day, the moment for which the routine is shaped and efforts must converge. With this, several problems are overcome. There is another noteworthy aspect: the comfort of a “decent” place confronted with the “sleeping on the floor” is satisfaction for someone who, used to inadequate conditions, settles down in a propitious and stimulating environment. A reasonable chair, a table, light, and silence; a set schedule and a commitment set in stone—thus, excuses arising from mental weakness are burnt away.
The Creation of Imaginary Friends
As Fernando Pessoa wisely recommended, the creation of imaginary friends, the exercise of mental conversations that would never be carried out in life, the realization of the impossible by the mind, all this, besides the benefits from the infinite novelties, brings invaluable contributions to the organization of reasoning. It is a practice that tests limits, exposes counterpoints, broadens horizons, and fills the need arising from the limitation of experience. The mind is strengthened because it has exercised and learned more, thought takes on more solid contours, and the habit, with time, becomes a healthy, pleasurable, and irreplaceable psychic and existential need.