Montaigne said : " to learn that we have said or done a stupid thing is nothing , we must learn a more ample and important lesson ; that we are at times foolish and blockheads ."
"And the biggest blockheads of all beings are those who had never suspected they might even be such things ," misplaced confidence in reason could be the ultimate idiocy , and indirectly also of inadequacy ."
We take pride in our fair and orderly reasoning and our capacity to fairly judge , and to know , and say the truth , but to live with such rules , we have to pay a price , which is generally expensive and sometimes excessive .
It often pays to be quiet and gracious , to listen more than talk . And to have an instinct for harmony rather than conflict . With this style , one can fake advantages and be more persuasive with certain positions without inflaming your counterpart's ego . We should all realise that in most conversations and arguments , most people priorities are to be liked , rather than to speak the truth .
To attain wisdom , argues Montaigne , is by learning not to aggravate the state of affairs through our own responses , through spasms of rage , self pity , anxiety , bitterness , and self-righteousness and paranoia . We must reconcile ourselves to the true dimensions of reality and so spare ourselves of harsh frustrations and the accompanying destructive emotions .
That we are ultimately still adequate in our own distinctive half-wise , half blockheadish ways , should not keep us from distinguishing and accepting our frailties , and prevent us from claiming a mastery we do not have . That is what Montaigne's philosophy teach us .
As usual my gratitude for your patience and time , salamat .
No comments:
Post a Comment