The beginner praises easily and hardly criticizes. This is because praise is more in line with his admiration of something that, if he understands it, he feels is still unattainable for him; criticism, on the other hand, requires knowledge and security that he doesn’t have. With the experienced, the opposite is true: criticism is natural, almost automatic, and praise requires the rare virtue of recognizing in the other person, despite his own knowledge, an ability that he may not have. The beginner therefore grows by being able to criticize, while the experienced does so by learning to praise: both, in short, by going against what is easiest for them.
Tag: philosophy
True Artists and True Philosophers…
True artists and true philosophers have in common that their work is the result of reflection on experience. From this, in both, springs the need for expression which, in each, is realized differently. In other words: it is through reflection that they discover what to say, and afterwards that they experience the sensation of having to say it. The rest is how to do it – the least important thing. But this initial impulse that unites them attests to the truth of what they do and sets them apart from all those who, for the most diverse reasons, perpetuate falsification.
“Misanthropy Is Limited to Men”
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.
How to Deal With Envy
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..