Tag: philosophy

The distinguished Marquis de Maricá says that “misanthropy is limited to men, it doesn’t include women”. Another mistake… Perhaps the maxim applies to recreational misanthropy, misanthropy when cultivated as a hobby; but not at all to genuine, professional misanthropy. This targets, or rather reacts to, human behavior, which is clearly different from that of a stone or a dog, and is present in both men and women. If a woman behaves like a stone, it is true that the misanthrope will spare her. But as long as, oh God, as long as she speaks, as long as she is capable of vibrating the strings and sonorizing a human voice, as long as she is capable of directing a word to another soul, and therefore forcing, impelling, constraining a communicative act and claiming attention for herself, the woman will inevitably be included in the list, the marquis is wrong and there is nothing to be done.

When we are asked how to deal with envy, malice and falsehood, it is safe to say that we are dealing with a young person, or someone with little experience. “Deal” is the vocabulary of someone who is still tied to the social game and afraid of appearing hostile. In short, there is no “deal” with envy, malice or falsehood. What there is, however, is to walk away from envious, malicious and false people at the first and slightest sign, without hesitation or embarrassment. To do this, however, one needs to have a very well-established personality, something that only comes with the years, and makes it possible to act resolutely and kick the convenience to the curb..

The true personality appears when the social mask is removed. Many people, out of fear, spend a lifetime without being able to assume it, or even know it. The most obvious effect of this is permanent dissatisfaction. There is nothing in this life that can replace the pleasure that comes from authenticity; to experience it, however, requires an act of courage, which is always disruptive, with short-term consequences that are often unpleasant. It happens that, much sooner than expected, the initial shock wears off and it feels like a release from infinite constraints, all of which stem from the unfortunate attempt to appear to be what one is not.

Maturity is perhaps notable for being the age when it becomes impossible to start an endeavor and then abandon it, when one always thinks about the end and what one does is done so that, if it does not end at a previously defined point, it lasts for the rest of one’s life. It is an age when the desire for the curious test disappears and one starts to act with certainty and resolution. It is an age, then, when one sees both the motivation and the goal, only making efforts in favor of what is in line with one’s inner nature. Some men never reach it…