lectures14+15-第11章

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his　honor　is　abhorrent。　　In　consequence　of　all　these　motives　you



probably　are　disposed；　unless　some　special　utility　can　be　shown



in　some　individual's　discipline；　to　treat　the　general　tendency　to



asceticism　as　pathological。







Yet　I　believe　that　a　more　careful　consideration　of　the　whole



matter；　distinguishing　between　the　general　good　intention　of



asceticism　and　the　uselessness　of　some　of　the　particular　acts　of



which　it　may　be　guilty；　ought　to　rehabilitate　it　in　our　esteem。　



For　in　its　spiritual　meaning　asceticism　stands　for　nothing　less



than　for　the　essence　of　the　twice…born　philosophy。　　It



symbolizes；　lamely　enough　no　doubt；　but　sincerely；　the　belief



that　there　is　an　element　of　real　wrongness　in　this　world；　which



is　neither　to　be　ignored　nor　evaded；　but　which　must　be　squarely



met　and　overcome　by　an　appeal　to　the　soul's　heroic　resources；　and



neutralized　and　cleansed　away　by　suffering。　　As　against　this



view；　the　ultra…optimistic　form　of　the　once…born　philosophy



thinks　we　may　treat　evil　by　the　method　of　ignoring。　　Let　a　man



who；　by　fortunate　health　and　circumstances；　escapes　the　suffering



of　any　great　amount　of　evil　in　his　own　person；　also　close　his



eyes　to　it　as　it　exists　in　the　wider　universe　outside　his　private



experience；　and　he　will　be　quit　of　it　altogether；　and　can　sail



through　life　happily　on　a　healthy…minded　basis。　　But　we　saw　in



our　lectures　on　melancholy　how　precarious　this　attempt



necessarily　is。　　Moreover　it　is　but　for　the　individual；　and



leaves　the　evil　outside　of　him；　unredeemed　and　unprovided　for　in



his　philosophy。







No　such　attempt　can　be　a　GENERAL　solution　of　the　problem；　and　to



minds　of　sombre　tinge；　who　naturally　feel　life　as　a　tragic



mystery；　such　optimism　is　a　shallow　dodge　or　mean　evasion。　　It



accepts；　in　lieu　of　a　real　deliverance；　what　is　a　lucky　personal



accident　merely；　a　cranny　to　escape　by。　It　leaves　the　general



world　unhelped　and　still　in　the　clutch　of　Satan。　　The　real



deliverance；　the　twice…born　folk　insist；　must　be　of　universal



application。　　Pain　and　wrong　and　death　must　be　fairly　met　and



overcome　in　higher　excitement；　or　else　their　sting　remains



essentially　unbroken。　　If　one　has　ever　taken　the　fact　of　the



prevalence　of　tragic　death　in　this　world's　history　fairly　into



his　mindfreezing；　drowning　entombment　alive；　wild　beasts；　worse



men；　and　hideous　diseaseshe　can　with　difficulty；　it　seems　to



me；　continue　his　own　career　of　worldly　prosperity　without



suspecting　that　he　may　all　the　while　not　be　really　inside　the



game；　that　he　may　lack　the　great　initiation。







Well；　this　is　exactly　what　asceticism　thinks；　and　it　voluntarily



takes　the　initiation。　　Life　is　neither　farce　nor　genteel　comedy；



it　says；　but　something　we　must　sit　at　in　mourning　garments；



hoping　its　bitter　taste　will　purge　us　of　our　folly。　The　wild　and



the　heroic　are　indeed　such　rooted　parts　of　it　that



healthy…mindedness　pure　and　simple；　with　its　sentimental



optimism；　can　hardly　be　regarded　by　any　thinking　man　as　a　serious



solution。　　Phrases　of　neatness；　cosiness；　and　comfort　can　never



be　an　answer　to　the　sphinx's　riddle。







In　these　remarks　I　am　leaning　only　upon　mankind's　common　instinct



for　reality；　which　in　point　of　fact　has　always　held　the　world　to



be　essentially　a　theatre　for　heroism。　　In　heroism；　we　feel；



life's　supreme　mystery　is　hidden。　　We　tolerate　no　one　who　has　no



capacity　whatever　for　it　in　any　direction。　　On　the　other　hand；　no



matter　what　a　man's　frailties　otherwise　may　be；　if　he　be　willing



to　risk　death；　and　still　more　if　he　suffer　it　heroically；　in　the



service　he　has　chosen；　the　fact　consecrates　him　forever。　



Inferior　to　ourselves　in　this　or　that　way；　if　yet　we　cling　to



life；　and　he　is　able　〃to　fling　it　away　like　a　flower〃　as　caring



nothing　for　it；　we　account　him　in　the　deepest　way　our　born



superior。　　Each　of　us　in　his　own　person　feels　that　a　high…hearted



indifference　to　life　would　expiate　all　his　shortcomings。







The　metaphysical　mystery；　thus　recognized　by　common　sense；　that



he　who　feeds　on　death　that　feeds　on　men　possesses　life



supereminently　and　excellently；　and　meets　best　the　secret　demands



of　the　universe；　is　the　truth　of　which　asceticism　has　been　the



faithful　champion。　　The　folly　of　the　cross；　so　inexplicable　by



the　intellect；　has　yet　its　indestructible　vital　meaning。







Representatively；　then；　and　symbolically；　and　apart　from　the



vagaries　into　which　the　unenlightened　intellect　of　former　times



may　have　let　it　wander；　asceticism　must；　I　believe；　be



acknowledged　to　go　with　the　profounder　way　of　handling　the　gift



of　existence。　　Naturalistic　optimism　is　mere　syllabub　and



flattery　and　sponge…cake　in　comparison。　The　practical　course　of



action　for　us；　as　religious　men；　would　therefore；　it　seems　to　me；



not　be　simply　to　turn　our　backs　upon　the　ascetic　impulse；　as　most



of　us　to…day　turn　them；　but　rather　to　discover　some　outlet　for　it



of　which　the　fruits　in　the　way　of　privation　and　hardship　might　be



objectively　useful。　　The　older　monastic　asceticism　occupied



itself　with　pathetic　futilities；　or　terminated　in　the　mere



egotism　of　the　individual；　increasing　his　own　perfection。＇219＇　



But　is　it　not　possible　for　us　to　discard　most　of　these　older



forms　of　mortification；　and　yet　find　saner　channels　for　the



heroism　which　inspired　them？







＇219＇　〃The　vanities　of　all　others　may　die　out；　but　the　vanity　of



a　saint　as　regards　his　sainthood　is　hard　indeed　to　wear　away。〃



Ramakrishna　his　Life　and　Sayings；　1899；　p。　172。















Does　not；　for　example；　the　worship　of　material　luxury　and　wealth；



which　constitutes　so　large　a　portion　of　the　〃spirit〃　of　our　age；



make　somewhat　for　effeminacy　and　unmanliness？　　Is　not　the



exclusively　sympathetic　and　facetious　way　in　which　most　children



are　brought　up　to…dayso　different　from　the　education　of　a



hundred　years　ago；　especially　in　evangelical　circlesin　danger；



in　spite　of　its　many　advantages；　of　developing　a　certain



trashiness　of　fibre？　　Are　there　not　hereabouts　some　points　of



application　for　a　renovated　and　revised　ascetic　discipline？







Many　of　you　would　recognize　such　dangers；　but　would　point　to



athletics；　militarism；　and　individual　and　national　enterprise　and



adventure　as　the　remedies。　　These　contemporary　ideals　are　quite



as　remarkable　for　the　energy　with　which　they　make　for　heroic



standards　of　life；　as　contemporary　religion　is　remarkable　for　the



way　in　which　it　neglects　them。＇220＇　　War　and　adventure　assuredly



keep　all　who　engage　in　them　from　treating　themselves　too



tenderly。　　They　demand　such　incredible　efforts；　depth　beyond



depth　of　exertion；　both　in　degree　and　in　duration；　that　the　whole



scale　of　motivation　alters。　　Discomfort　and　annoyance；　hunger　and



wet；　pain　and　cold；　squalor　and　filth；　cease　to　have　any



deterrent　operation　whatever。　　Death　turns　into　a　commonplace



matter；　and　its　usual　power　to　check　our　action　vanishes。　With



the　annulling　of　these　customary　inhibitions；　ranges　of　new



energy　are　set　free；　and　life　seems　cast　upon　a　higher　plane　of



power。







＇220＇　〃When　a　church　has　to　be　run　by　oysters；　ice…cream；　and



fun；〃　I　read　in　an　American　religious　paper；　〃you　may　be　sure



that　it　is　running　away　from　Christ。〃　　Such；　if　one　may　judge



by　appearances；　is　the　present　plight　of　many　of　our　churches。















The　beauty　of　war　in　this　respect　is　that　it　is　so　congruous　with



ordinary　human　nature。　　Ancestral　evolution　has　made　us　all



potential　warriors；　so　the　most　insignificant　individual；　when



thrown