You never want to make a deal with the devil - but if you do, pray for a loophole!
Goethe’s Dr. Faust is the story of a man who sold his soul to the devil, and lived to tell the tale
Here’s what it can teach you about life, happiness, and outwitting Satan himself…🧵
The story begins in Heaven where the Devil makes a bet with God:
I bet I can corrupt your favorite human being - Dr. Faust
God takes this bet, believing that Faust’s soul will remain righteous
On Earth, Dr. Faust is a scholar who is dissatisfied with life
He’s well educated but unfulfilled, yearning for true happiness
Searching for a solution, he turns to studying the dark arts
Not much later Mephistopheles (Satan) appears, offering a deal...
Satan’s terms are simple:
I give you power, BUT if you find happiness, I get your soul
Faust accepts this deal, desperate to escape his meaningless life
Faust first searches for happiness in romantic love
With Satan’s help, he seduces a beautiful woman named Gretchen
The affair brings great scandal, however, leading Gretchen to her ruin
Faust regrets the affair, and realizes romance cannot bring true happiness
Faust then turns to larger ambitions
He seeks happiness through politics - becoming advisor to the Emperor
With Satan’s help, he saves the country from a crash, wins wars, and proves a wise statesmen…
Yet he laments a life of glory isn’t fulfilling either
Finally, Faust uses Satan to enjoy a life of mysticism
He meets many Greek mythological heroes, and even fathers a son with Helen of Troy...
Yet Faust laments not even mysticism and unworldly bliss can make him happy
Distraught, his heart grows wicked
In old age, Faust rules over land bestowed to him by the emperor
His heart now hardened, Faust asks Satan to steal more land owned by two peasants
Satan obliges - murdering the peasants to Faust’s despair
Overrun with guilt, Faust has an epiphany of what true happiness is...
Seeking to repent, Faust meditates on his last ambition:
Build a utopian society that frees mankind from suffering
He envisions such a society, and sighs, finding a moment of true happiness
On cue, Satan leaps in to steal Faust's soul…
However, God intervenes and saves Faust… but why?
Faust lost his bet to Satan, but Satan lost his bet to God - he couldn’t truly corrupt Faust
Though Faust lived a life of debauchery, his heart never truly abandoned The Good:
He died wishing for the good of others...
Thus Faust teaches that true happiness is the redemption of a pure heart
Coincidentally, this is how you "outwit," Satan:
Not with a clever head, but a loving soul
Redemption and happiness is possible for all, even the wicked, but only if you never stop striving for The Good
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