One of the main barriers to ideal behaviour is a touch of embarrassment.
As will-to-life, one of your main priorities is securing a position in the animal kingdom. When you start talking about God, or when your ethical output seems excessive, you come off strange and irrelevant.
As will-to-life, one of your main priorities is securing a position in the animal kingdom. When you start talking about God, or when your ethical output seems excessive, you come off strange and irrelevant.
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When you're young, you're especially keen to secure a position in the animal kingdom, so you will do your best to avoid high-flung talk of God and the need to love your enemy and whatnot.
On growing old, it becomes more appropriate, although still slightly jarring.
On growing old, it becomes more appropriate, although still slightly jarring.
The decline of culture today means that securing a position in the animal kingdom has become a central aim, and so almost no one is willing to talk in such grandiose terms
Now and again, a young person has an outburst of ethical output, but then they feel embarrassed afterwards.
Now and again, a young person has an outburst of ethical output, but then they feel embarrassed afterwards.
Realising this, the person who sincerely aspires to a religious worldview will eventually acquire an appropriate degree of cynicism, which makes them contiguous with the animal kingdom.
In other words, it gives them charisma.
In other words, it gives them charisma.
We say that such a person is "down to Earth", and that's exactly right.
They haven't launched off into the stratosphere and abandoned humanity entirely. They will cater to the tastes of animal nature. In fact, it's a great joy to see them lapse into a certain animalism.
They haven't launched off into the stratosphere and abandoned humanity entirely. They will cater to the tastes of animal nature. In fact, it's a great joy to see them lapse into a certain animalism.
When they lapse into animalism, the path out of humanity once again comes into view.
This is why reading the biographies of great men is often so reassuring. Their clumsy youthful episodes and occasional shortcomings reminds you that they are subject to the same temptations.
This is why reading the biographies of great men is often so reassuring. Their clumsy youthful episodes and occasional shortcomings reminds you that they are subject to the same temptations.
In addition to embarrassment, there is also the fear of shining too brightly.
If you come off too brilliantly, this makes others feel inferior. Very often it will be taken as an insult, in much the same way the existence of genius upsets mediocrities.
If you come off too brilliantly, this makes others feel inferior. Very often it will be taken as an insult, in much the same way the existence of genius upsets mediocrities.
To overcome this, you have to let go of attachment to immediate outcomes. It should suffice that you know you did right, and that the universe in the long term is on your side.
This is true of philosophical output, just as it is of ethical output. It's also true of parenthood.
This is true of philosophical output, just as it is of ethical output. It's also true of parenthood.
You will be scorned at first, but in the long-term, it will become apparent that you were correct—that you acted in spite of the will-to-life.
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