lectures11-13-第12章

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irrationally；　by　a　sort　of　obsession　or　fixed　idea　which　comes　as



a　challenge　and　must　be　worked　off；　because　only　thus　does　the



subject　get　his　interior　consciousness　feeling　right　again。







6。　　Finally；　ascetic　exercises　may　in　rarer　instances　be　prompted



by　genuine　perversions　of　the　bodily　sensibility；　in　consequence



of　which　normally　pain…giving　stimuli　are　actually　felt　as



pleasures。







I　will　try　to　give　an　instance　under　each　of　these　heads　in　turn；



but　it　is　not　easy　to　get　them　pure；　for　in　cases　pronounced



enough　to　be　immediately　classed　as　ascetic；　several　of　the



assigned　motives　usually　work　together。　　Moreover；　before　citing



any　examples　at　all；　I　must　invite　you　to　some　general



psychological　considerations　which　apply　to　all　of　them　alike。







A　strange　moral　transformation　has　within　the　past　century　swept



over　our　Western　world。　　We　no　longer　think　that　we　are　called　on



to　face　physical　pain　with　equanimity。　It　is　not　expected　of　a



man　that　he　should　either　endure　it　or　inflict　much　of　it；　and　to



listen　to　the　recital　of　cases　of　it　makes　our　flesh　creep



morally　as　well　as　physically。　　The　way　in　which　our　ancestors



looked　upon　pain　as　an　eternal　ingredient　of　the　world's　order；



and　both　caused　and　suffered　it　as　a　matter…of…course　portion　of



their　day's　work；　fills　us　with　amazement。　　We　wonder　that　any



human　beings　could　have　been　so　callous。　　The　result　of　this



historic　alteration　is　that　even　in　the　Mother　Church　herself；



where　ascetic　discipline　has　such　a　fixed　traditional　prestige　as



a　factor　of　merit；　it　has　largely　come　into　desuetude；　if　not



discredit。　　A　believer　who　flagellates　or　〃macerates〃　himself



today　arouses　more　wonder　and　fear　than　emulation。　　Many　Catholic



writers　who　admit　that　the　times　have　changed　in　this　respect　do



so　resignedly；　and　even　add　that　perhaps　it　is　as　well　not　to



waste　feelings　in　regretting　the　matter；　for　to　return　to　the



heroic　corporeal　discipline　of　ancient　days　might　be　an



extravagance。







Where　to　seek　the　easy　and　the　pleasant　seems　instinctive



and　instinctive　it　appears　to　be　in　man；　any　deliberate



tendency　to　pursue　the　hard　and　painful　as　such　and　for　their　own



sakes　might　well　strike　one　as　purely　abnormal。　　Nevertheless；　in



moderate　degrees　it　is　natural　and　even　usual　to　human　nature　to



court　the　arduous。　　It　is　only　the　extreme　manifestations　of　the



tendency　that　can　be　regarded　as　a　paradox。







The　psychological　reasons　for　this　lie　near　the　surface。　When　we



drop　abstractions　and　take　what　we　call　our　will　in　the　act；　we



see　that　it　is　a　very　complex　function。　　It　involves　both



stimulations　and　inhibitions；　it　follows　generalized　habits；　it



is　escorted　by　reflective　criticisms；　and　it　leaves　a　good　or　a



bad　taste　of　itself　behind；　according　to　the　manner　of　the



performance。　　The　result　is　that；　quite　apart　from　the　immediate



pleasure　which　any　sensible　experience　may　give　us；　our　own



general　moral　attitude　in　procuring　or　undergoing　the　experience



brings　with　it　a　secondary　satisfaction　or　distaste。　　Some　men



and　women；　indeed；　there　are　who　can　live　on　smiles　and　the　word



〃yes〃　forever。　　But　for　others　（indeed　for　most）；　this　is　too



tepid　and　relaxed　a　moral　climate。　　Passive　happiness　is　slack



and　insipid；　and　soon　grows　mawkish　and　intolerable。　　Some



austerity　and　wintry　negativity；　some　roughness；　danger；



stringency；　and　effort；　some　〃no！　no！〃　must　be　mixed　in；　to



produce　the　sense　of　an　existence　with　character　and　texture　and



power。　　The　range　of　individual　differences　in　this　respect　is



enormous；　but　whatever　the　mixture　of　yeses　and　noes　may　be；　the



person　is　infallibly　aware　when　he　has　struck　it　in　the　right



proportion　FOR　HIM。　　This；　he　feels；　is　　my　proper　vocation；　this



is　the　OPTIMUM；　the　law；　the　life　for　me　to　live。　　Here　I　find



the　degree　of　equilibrium；　safety；　calm；　and　leisure　which　I



need；　or　here　I　find　the　challenge；　passion；　fight；　and　hardship



without　which　my　soul's　energy　expires。







Every　individual　soul；　in　short；　like　every　individual　machine　



or　organism；　has　its　own　best　conditions　of　efficiency。　A　given



machine　will　run　best　under　a　certain　steam…pressure；　a　certain



amperage；　an　organism　under　a　certain　diet；　weight；　or　exercise。　



You　seem　to　do　best；　I　heard　a　doctor　say　to　a　patient；　at　about



140　millimeters　of　arterial　tension。　　And　it　is　just　so　with　our



sundry　souls：　　some　are　happiest　in　calm　weather；　some　need　the



sense　of　tension；　of　strong　volition；　to　make　them　feel　alive　and



well。　　For　these　latter　souls；　whatever　is　gained　from　day　to　day



must　be　paid　for　by　sacrifice　and　inhibition；　or　else　it　comes



too　cheap　and　has　no　zest。







Now　when　characters　of　this　latter　sort　become　religious；　they



are　apt　to　turn　the　edge　of　their　need　of　effort　and　negativity



against　their　natural　self；　and　the　ascetic　life　gets　evolved　as



a　consequence。







When　Professor　Tyndall　in　one　of　his　lectures　tells　us　that



Thomas　Carlyle　put　him　into　his　bath…tub　every　morning　of　a



freezing　Berlin　winter；　he　proclaimed　one　of　the　lowest　grades　of



asceticism。　　Even　without　Carlyle；　most　of　us　find　it　necessary



to　our　soul's　health　to　start　the　day　with　a　rather　cool



immersion。　　A　little　farther　along　the　scale　we　get　such



statements　as　this；　from　one　of　my　correspondents；　an　agnostic：







〃Often　at　night　in　my　warm　bed　I　would　feel　ashamed　to　depend　so



on　the　warmth；　and　whenever　the　thought　would　come　over　me　I



would　have　to　get　up；　no　matter　what　time　of　night　it　was；　and



stand　for　a　minute　in　the　cold；　just　so　as　to　prove　my　manhood。〃







Such　cases　as　these　belong　simply　to　our　head　1。　　In　the　next



case　we　probably　have　a　mixture　of　heads　2　and　3　the　asceticism



becomes　far　more　systematic　and　pronounced。　　The　writer　is　a



Protestant；　whose　sense　of　moral　energy　could　doubtless　be



gratified　on　no　lower　terms；　and　I　take　his　case　from　Starbuck's



manuscript　collection。







〃I　practiced　fasting　and　mortification　of　the　flesh。　　I　secretly



made　burlap　shirts；　and　put　the　burrs　next　the　skin；　and　wore



pebbles　in　my　shoes。　　I　would　spend　nights　flat　on　my　back　on　the



floor　without　any　covering。〃







The　Roman　Church　has　organized　and　codified　all　this　sort　of



thing；　and　given　it　a　market…value　in　the　shape　of　〃merit。〃　　　



But　we　see　the　cultivation　of　hardship　cropping　out　under　every



sky　and　in　every　faith；　as　a　spontaneous　need　of　character。　　Thus



we　read　of　Channing；　when　first　settled　as　a　Unitarian　minister；



that







〃He　was　now　more　simple　than　ever；　and　seemed　to　have　become



incapable　of　any　form　of　self…indulgence。　　He　took　the　smallest



room　in　the　house　for　his　study；　though　he　might　easily　have



commanded　one　more　light；　airy；　and　in　every　way　more　suitable；



and　chose　for　his　sleeping　chamber　an　attic　which　he　shared　with



a　younger　brother。　　The　furniture　of　the　latter　might　have



answered　for　the　cell　of　an　anchorite；　and　consisted　of　a　hard



mattress　on　a　cot…bedstead；　plain　wooden　chairs　and　table；　with



matting　on　the　floor。　　It　was　without　fire；　and　to　cold　he　was



throughout　life　extremely　sensitive；　but　he　never　complained　or



appeared　in　any　way　to　be　conscious　of　inconvenience。　　'I



recollect；'　says　his　brother；　'after　one　most　severe　night；　that



in　the　morning　he　sportively　thus　alluded　to　his　suffering：　　〃If



my　bed　were　my　country；　I　should　be　somewhat　like　Bonaparte：　　I



have　no　control　except　over　the　part　which　I　occupy；　the　instant



I　mo