wisdom of life

Chapter 9 The Appearances Man Shows (3)
From this we can understand why, at the first appearance of excellent and excellent things, of whatever kind they may be, they are attacked by innumerable mediocrities.Together, they vowed to stop these things from happening; even to do everything in their power to get rid of them as soon as possible.The slogan of this crowd is "Down with Achievement and Contribution."Even those who have made a name for themselves do not like to see others enjoy a new name, for the splendor of other names would outshine them.Thus, Goethe wrote:

before getting life,
If I hesitate,
I will not live in this world.

As you can see,
Those who are arrogant, to show off,

Just ignore my existence.

Fame, as a rule, is justly judged by men, and it is not attacked by envy, in fact it is given in advance to everyone; Rings are awarded by tribunals of unbiased judges.Men can and will enjoy fame with others, but those who have it demean it, or prevent others from acquiring it.In addition, the difficulty of gaining fame through the creation of a work is inversely proportional to the size of the readership of that work, for obvious reasons.It is harder to gain fame for writing to teach than to write for entertainment.It is most difficult to make a name for yourself by writing philosophical works, for their teaching is uncertain; besides, they are of no material use.Therefore, the readers of philosophical works are all composed of colleagues engaged in philosophy.From the above difficulties it can be imagined that those authors who write works worthy of reputation, if they are not motivated by love of their own business, and can enjoy themselves while writing, but are motivated by the desire to achieve fame, then, Mankind will have no, or very few, immortal works.Indeed, to write good books, and to avoid bad ones, the creator must resist and despise the judgment of the public and its representatives.Accordingly, it is quite true—and Osorias especially emphasizes this—that fame always flees those who pursue it, but follows those who pay no heed to it.This is because the former caters only to the tastes of their contemporaries, while the latter resists them.

Therefore, gaining fame is difficult.But it is very easy to preserve a reputation.In this respect, fame and reputation are in contrast.Reputation is in advance to everyone, and everyone only needs to take good care of it.But the problem is, as long as a person commits a certain misdemeanor, his reputation is gone forever.Fame, by contrast, is not really lost, because the deeds or works upon which a man is famous are always there, and though their creators no longer produce new creations, the fame still accompanies him.If the reputation really weakens, disappears, and becomes a thing of the past, then this reputation is not real, that is, it is not well deserved, but is only caused by temporary high evaluation; Or, it's just as famous as Hegel's - as Lichtenberg described it: "It was proclaimed in unison by those circles of friends, and then echoed by empty heads . . . when the future One day, future generations will face those colorful edifices of words, the beautiful empty shells left by passing fashions, and the frames occupied by dead concepts. When they knock on the door, they will find that everything is empty. There is not even a single thought in it that can cry out with confidence: Come in—what a laughingstock this will become!" (Miscellaneous Works 4, 15)
Fame is built on what makes a person unique.Therefore, reputation is essentially relative, and it has only relative value.Once everyone else is the same as the person who has the reputation, the reputation ceases to exist.Only that which retains its value under any circumstances—in this case, that which is directly owned by itself—has absolute value.Thus great hearts and great minds have all their value and happiness in themselves.It is not fame that has value, but what is famous—it is real, and fame by it is an accident.Indeed, fame is just a certain outward display by which the celebrity confirms that the high opinion he holds of himself is not wrong.Thus one can say: Just as light itself is invisible unless it is refracted by objects, so the excellence of a man becomes indisputable only through the attainment of fame.However, this kind of external display of reputation is not foolproof, because under the prestige, it may actually be difficult to live up to.In addition, people who make extraordinary contributions may lack reputation.So Lessing's [31] words are very clever: "Some people are famous, others deserve it." In addition, if a person's worth can only depend on how the person appears in the eyes of others, then Such an existence would be miserable.If the value of a hero or genius really lies only in the fame he has, that is, in the approval of others, then his life is indeed miserable enough.But the real situation is just not the case.Every man lives according to his own nature, and therefore he lives above all for himself as he is.For a man, his own nature, whatever its mode of existence, is the most important thing.If the man is worthless in his own nature, then he is worthless as a person.His image in other people's minds, by contrast, is a secondary and peripheral thing, subject to chance, which can exert only indirect influence on himself.Besides, the minds of the masses are pitiful, desolate arenas in which true happiness cannot make its home, but only illusory happiness.In the halls of fame, what a motility we may see: commanders, ministers, maikos, singers, entertainers, rich men, quacks, Jews, jugglers, and so on. [32] Yes, here, the excellence of all these people is more sincerely appreciated and respected than the extraordinary spiritual and ideological qualities-especially the high class-by people.For outstanding spiritual and ideological qualities, most people only pay lip service to them.Fame, viewed from the perspective of eulogy, is nothing but rare, expensive food to feed our pride and vanity;But most people have excessive pride and vanity, although they will cover it up.Perhaps that class of men who deserve fame anyway--their pride and vanity are strongest; in the uncertain consciousness of such men they value themselves above the common man.They must wait a long time, in uncertainty, before they have the opportunity to prove their outstanding worth and gain recognition.They feel that they have been treated in some unknown, unfair way.In general, though, as I said at the beginning of this chapter, people place an entirely disproportionate and irrational weight on what other people think of them.So perhaps Hobbes [33] is right, though rather strongly expressed: "Our happiness consists in having people with whom we can compare ourselves and with whom we can value ourselves." From this it can be seen why people To value fame so much, and to make sacrifices to get it at last:
In addition,

Fame (this is the last weakness of noble hearts)

Causes clear minds to despise pleasure,
Live a hard life.

—Milton [34] Lucidas, 70
The haughty Hall of Fame shines in

on a steep hill,
How difficult it is to climb up!

——Betty [35] "The Bard"

Finally, we can also see that the most vain nations always talk about glory, and do not hesitate to regard it as the main motive force that inspires people to do extraordinary deeds and write great books.But the indisputable fact is that fame is only a secondary thing, it is only the reflection, representation, and echo of achievements and contributions; moreover, things that can be admired are more valuable than praise.So it is not fame that makes men happy, but the thing by which it is famous; it is therefore in the achievements, in the contributions themselves, or, more precisely, in the thoughts and abilities that produce them , whether the nature of the two is moral or intellectual.For it is necessary for every man for his own sake to develop his best qualities.How he is reflected in other people's minds, and what others say about him, is of secondary importance.Therefore, the man who deserves fame and has not gained it has actually something more important; what he lacks can be comforted and compensated by his actual possession.We envy a great man not because he is considered great by the unjudgmental and often deluded masses, but because he is a great man.His greatest happiness is not that people in later generations will know him, but that we see those intriguing thoughts from him that are worthy of people's permanent preservation.His happiness is in his own hands.But fame is not "in one's own hands."On the other hand, if the admiration of others is all that matters, then the thing that elicits admiration is not as important as the admiration itself.This is the case with a false, false reputation.People who acquire this false fame enjoy the benefits of fame without really having what it stands for.But false reputations sometimes turn sour.Although these people deceive themselves for their own benefit, they will feel dizzy at a height they are not comfortable with; or they may feel that they are nothing more than a fake.They are afraid of finally being stripped of their masks and suffering the humiliation they deserve, especially on the foreheads of the wise, they have read the judgment of the future and the hereafter.These people are like those who forged wills and defrauded property.The truest kind of fame, that is, the fame that passes on after death, is not known to its owner, but he is still considered a lucky man.It is his fortune that he has the extraordinary qualities by which he is famous, and that he has had the opportunity to develop and develop them, and to act in a way that suits him, to do what he joyfully throws himself into, because only The works produced in this way can gain the reputation of later generations.His luck also lies in his great emotions or rich spiritual world, which left a mark in his works and won the admiration of later generations.There is also his intellectual wisdom.Thinking, pondering the wisdom of his thought, will be the work that those with noble thoughts will be happy to do in the endless future.The value of posterity's fame is that it is deserved, and that is the only reward for it.As for whether the works that have gained posthumous fame can also win the appreciation of the author's contemporaries, it depends on the environment and luck, but this is not very important.According to the general law, ordinary people lack independent judgment, especially the ability to appreciate high-level and difficult achievements, so people always obey the authority of others.High-level reputations are built purely on the integrity of those who praise them, and that's 90.00% of the time.To those who think deeply, therefore, the tumultuous admiration of their contemporaries is of little value, for what they hear is the echo of a few voices.And these few voices are just a temporary product.If a violinist knows that his audience is composed of deaf people except for one or two, and these deaf people, in order to hide their defects from each other, will respond with enthusiastic applause whenever they see the exception of one or two people move their hands , then, is the violinist still happy with the applause given by his audience?Even when he finally learned that the person who led the applause was often bribed to produce the loudest applause for the poor violin player!From this we can see why the reputation of an era is rarely transformed into the reputation behind it.This is why D'Alembert [36] states in his beautiful description of the Temple of Literature: "The Temple of Literature is full of dead people who did not live in it; Those who survive, but once they die, they are almost all thrown out of the palace." By the way, erecting a monument to a person during his lifetime is tantamount to saying: We don't trust future generations to judge his value .But if a person can really enjoy a reputation that lasts for generations during his lifetime, it seldom happens before he reaches an advanced age.Exceptions to this rule, perhaps, occur more often among artists and writers than among philosophers.This statement is exemplified by the portraits of men who became famous through their writings, since most of them were prepared after they became famous: these portraits generally show the author aged, with gray hair, and especially the philosophical ones. Home.But from the perspective of happiness theory, this is absolutely a matter of course.For us mortals, fame and youth together are too much luxury.We live in such poverty, we should cherish the gifts of life and enjoy them separately.In adolescence, we already have enough of our precious possessions to be happy with them.But in old age, when all the joys and delights have fallen away like the winter tree, the tree of Fame, like the holly, puts out its buds and leaves in good time.We can also liken fame to winter pears - they grow in summer but are enjoyed in winter.In old age, we have no better consolation than this: we have poured all our youthful energy into books, which will not grow old with us.

Let us now examine more closely the ways of attaining fame in some of the disciplines with which we are most closely connected, and we shall arrive at the following law.To show ingenuity in these disciplines—the reputation of which is its hallmark—requires new combinations of material from these disciplines.The nature of the content of these materials varies greatly, but the more widely known and accessible these materials are, the greater the reputation will be gained by organizing and combining them.For example, if the sources deal with figures or curves, if they contain facts of physics, zoology, botany, or anatomy; Inscriptions and inscriptions with missing words and short chapters; or, these materials relate to a certain ambiguous period in history-then, the reputation gained after a correct arrangement and combination of these materials is only popular. For people who are familiar with these materials, and will not go beyond this scope.Such reputations, therefore, spread only among a small number of people, usually living reclusive lives.These people are jealous that others enjoy the reputation of their profession.But if the data to be studied are known to all, for example, they concern the fundamental and universal properties of the human understanding, or the human emotions, or the studies of the forces of nature, the processes of nature which are at work with all eyes and ears, The fame gained, then, of making important and refreshing combinations of these materials, and thereby expanding knowledge of these things, spread throughout the civilized world.Because everyone has access to these research materials.So, in most cases, everyone can combine them.Therefore, the size of fame always coincides with the size of the difficulties we have to overcome.Now that the research materials are widely known, it becomes more and more difficult to combine them in new but correct ways, because too many people have already spent their brains in this area, and new combinations are possible. exhausted.On the contrary, we can always find new combinations of research materials which can only be obtained by hard and difficult means and which are not accessible to the general public.So if a person has a clear understanding and a healthy judgment, plus a certain intellectual advantage, then, if he engages in the study of the above-mentioned kinds of materials, he may be lucky at last to find them new. and the correct combination.However, the spread of fame obtained in this way is more or less consistent with people's understanding and familiarity with such materials.Solving the problems of this class of disciplines requires a great deal of research—necessary simply to know and master the data.But if we are inquiring into a class of data which will bring us the most eminent and enduring fame, then such data are available with little effort.But the less painstaking work required to solve such problems, the more it demands on the researcher's talents, and even genius alone is sufficient for such tasks.Hard work is by no means equal to genius of thought in terms of value created and respected by men.

From this it follows that those who feel that they have good understanding and sound judgment, but do not believe that they are really endowed with the highest intellectual gifts, should not be afraid to engage in tedious research and tiring work, for only by virtue of These labors enable them to stand out among those who have extensive access to these materials, and to penetrate into remote areas that only diligent polymaths have the opportunity to set foot in.In this field, the number of competitors is greatly reduced, and anyone with a slightly bright mind will soon find an opportunity to make a new and correct combination of the data under study.The credit for such a person's discovery is even based on the fact that he overcame difficulties to obtain these materials.But the public hears only afar the applause he received for this—from his learned colleagues, for only such people know the profession.If one goes all the way along the path I have described here, eventually, because it becomes so difficult to discover new data, researchers do not need to assemble data, they only need to find data to build a reputation.It is like an explorer arriving in a remote, unpopulated place: what he sees, not what he thinks, makes him famous.This route to fame has another great advantage: It is easier to communicate what you see than what you think; it is easier to understand what others see than to understand what others think.Therefore, books that tell stories can have a larger audience than books that convey ideas, because, as Asmus said:

travel alone,
can tell a story.

But it is in keeping with this that, having known and acquainted with eminent persons of this class in private, we are often reminded of what Horace said:

Those who travel abroad merely change the climate,

They have not changed their minds.

As for those who are very gifted in mind, since they are supposed to solve the great problems, that is to say, those which concern general and general aspects of the world, and are therefore the most difficult.Therefore, they should expand their horizons as much as possible, taking into account multiple directions at the same time, so as not to go too far in one direction and get lost in a specialized and little-known field.In other words, he should not get too entangled in a certain specialized field in a certain discipline, let alone drill into those trivial corners.He does not need to devote himself to remote disciplines in order to get rid of so many competitors.Things that everyone can see can actually become the material of his research.He can make new, correct and authentic combinations of these materials.Thus his contribution will be appreciated by all who are familiar with the material, that is to say, by the majority of humanity.There is a huge difference between the fame acquired by the writers and philosophers and that acquired by the physicists, chemists, anatomists, mineralogists, zoologists, linguists, historians, and here is the whole reason .

注释
【1】With the utmost luxury, extravagance, and display, the upper-class people can say: Our happiness lies outside ourselves, and its shelter is in other people's heads.

【2】Madio Aleman (1547-about 1614): Spanish novelist. - translator

[3] Tacitus (approximately 55-approximately 120): An ancient Roman historian, famous for his historical works through the ages. - translator

[4] Lichtenberg (1742-1799): German physicist and satirist, known for his ridicule of metaphysics and romanticism's excessive arguments. - translator

[5] French, meaning "rewarding merit". - translator

【6】This is Greek. - translator

[7] "Citizenship" is translated from the German Bürgerliche Ehre, and Bürgerliche means middle class in German. - translator

[8] Helvetia (1715-1771): French Enlightenment thinker and philosopher. - translator

[9] Calderon (1600-1681): Spanish playwright. - translator

[10] Franklin (1706-1790): American politician and scientist. - translator

【11】Aberwitz means stupidity and madness. The second half of the word witz means cleverness and wit, and the front Aber means "opposite". - translator

[12] These are the rules of knightly honor.How absurd and comical these principles of chivalry's honour, once articulated, and brought into clear conception.Even today, in Europe where Christianity prevails, many people generally admire the honor of knights, and these people belong to the so-called high society and the so-called tasteful people.Indeed, many of these men were brought up with knightly honors, and they believed in these principles more than in a catechism of Christian doctrine.They have the deepest and truest reverence for these principles, and are ready to dedicate their happiness, tranquility, health, and life to them.These principles, they argue, are rooted in human nature and, therefore, are inherent in people and have a priori basis.So these principles go beyond investigation, inquiry.I don't want to hurt the hearts of these people, but their minds are really underwhelming.These principles, therefore, are especially incompatible with a group destined to represent the wisdom of the world, to be salt in the soil, and ready to take on the responsibilities of heaven—that is, our young students.But unfortunately, these young students admired these principles more than any other class in Germany.These students were educated from the writings of Greece and Rome (when I was one of the students, the worthless fake philosopher Johann Fichte, who is still revered as a philosopher in German academic circles, taught these things. Work).Now, I don't want to stress to you the nasty, immoral consequences of these principles.I just want to say these words to you: You who in your youth received the gospel of Greek and Roman languages ​​and wisdom—from early days, no effort has been spared to imbue your young minds with the grace and ancient dignity and wisdom. The Shining of the Light—will you accept this stupid and barbarous thing as your code of conduct?Consider that I have brought before you in the clearest manner the wretched narrowness and imperfection of these principles, and let them be the test-stones of your brains, and not your hearts.If your minds do not throw them away, your minds are ill-suited for these areas: areas that require a keen sense of judgment that easily breaks the shackles of prejudice, and a penetrating understanding of what is true and what is false—even between the true and the false. It's not as easy to grasp as it is here when it's very hidden.In this case, my lads, try to gain fame in other ways, join the army or learn a craft like a golden rice bowl.

[13] Marius (157-86 BC): Ancient Roman politician and commander. - translator

[14] Plutarch (about 46-about 120): Ancient Greek biographer. - translator

[15] Corneille (1606-1684): French playwright. - translator

[16] Diderot (1713-1784): French writer and philosopher. - translator

【17】Two men of chivalry wooed the same woman, one of whom was named DeGrand.The two sat side by side at the table, facing the woman.DeGrand talked briskly, trying to attract the woman's attention.But the woman was absent-minded, as if she did not listen to DeGrand's words, but glanced at DeGrand's rival from time to time.At the time, DeGrand was holding a raw egg in his hand.A wave of morbid jealousy drove him to crush the egg.The egg broke and splashed in the face of his rival.His rival shook his hand, but DeGrand took his hand and whispered in his ear: "I accept your challenge."The people present fell into silence.The next day, with a thick black plaster cast around DeGrand's right cheekbone, they dueled.DeGrand's opponent was badly wounded, but not fatally.The plaster cast on DeGrand's right cheekbone has been reduced slightly.When his opponent recovered, they fought a second duel.DeGrand wounded his opponent, and he removed a small piece of the plaster.This happened five or six times, and after each duel DeGrand removed a little bit of the plaster until the opponent was at last slain.what!The noble chivalry of the old days!But seriously, whoever compares this typical story with such things that have happened in the past must say that, as in other things, how great the ancients are, and how small the moderns are!
[18] Knightly honor is the offspring of arrogance and folly.The truth in opposition to knightly honor is expressed by a line in Calderon's "Eternal Principles": "Poverty is Adam's lot." It is worth noting that this extreme arrogance is uniquely present in Among those who profess such a religion—a religion which demands as their duty from its adherents the utmost humility; for this principle of chivalry was not heard of in other continents in centuries before this.But we cannot attribute it to religious reasons, but should attribute it to the feudal system.Under this system, every nobleman regards himself as a little emperor, and does not recognize that there will be human judges above him.Therefore, he regards himself as sacrosanct.Therefore, every insulting word and attack against him is like a heinous capital crime.Therefore, knightly honor and duels were originally the affairs of nobles.Later, people in the non-commissioned officer class also followed this habit.Non-commissioned officers socialized with the upper classes from time to time to avoid appearing too unimportant.When duels developed from divine judgment, duels were not the cause, but the result of the practice and development of knightly honor.Those who do not recognize any human judge seek God's judgment.However, divinity is not unique to Christianity, it also has a great influence in Hinduism, especially in ancient times.Traces of it are still there today.

[19] Wen Sanzo Monti (1754-1828): Italian neoclassical poet. - translator

[20] Xenophon (about 430-about 355 or 354): Ancient Greek historian and writer. - translator

【21】It can be said that it is common for Chinese people to receive 20 or 30 bamboo sticks on the back.This is the Chinese way of raising their children, and that's not a big deal, and the punished accept them with gratitude. —Second Book of Educational and Wonderful Letters (1819)

[22] That is, the honor of knights. - translator

[23] The government appears to be doing its best to eliminate dueling.While this is an obviously easy thing to do, especially at universities, the government gives the impression that it doesn't want to succeed.The reason for this, as I see it, is this: the state cannot pay its officers and civil officials adequately in cash; therefore, the government converts the other half of the wages it should pay into honors, which are given by titles, uniforms, medals, etc. appear.In order to better maintain this ideal payment service method, the government must cultivate and strengthen people's sense of honor in every possible way. In any case, the sense of honor must be turned into a luxury.Civic honor is insufficient for this purpose of government, since it is enjoyed by the masses.The government, therefore, has nothing but recourse to chivalry, and to preserve it in the manner I have spoken of.In Britain, since government compensation for military and civil service is much higher than in continental Europe, the compensation mentioned above is not required.Dueling has thus been almost entirely abolished in England, especially in the last 20 years.The occurrence of duel events is only an extremely rare event.Dueling is only laughed at as a stupid thing.Indeed, the "Anti-Dueling Society" - which consisted of many lords, generals and commanders - contributed much to this result, and the god Moloch (the god of fire believed by the ancient Phoenicians, dedicated to children Sacrifice.—Translator) no more sacrifices.

[24] That is duel. - translator

【25】English, meaning "baiting", "hunting". - translator

[26] Rousseau (1712-1778): French Enlightenment thinker, philosopher, educator, writer. - translator

【27】The half-human, half-bull monster in Greek mythology can eat human flesh and was raised in the labyrinth of Crete. - translator

[28] Alexander the Great (before 356-before 323): King of Macedonia. - translator

【29】The general term for the oldest religious texts and literary works of India.Created in ancient Sanskrit, the writing date is estimated to be between 2000 and 1000 BC. - translator

[30] Therefore, people think that they can make the work famous by labeling it in the name of action performance-this is the fashion of people today.In fact, this kind of compliment is terrible, because the work is, by its nature, higher than the performance of the action.The deed of action is always only an action in the service of a motive, and is therefore limited and fleeting; it belongs to the universal and original element of the world, that is, to the will.But a great or beautiful work is eternal, because it contains a wide and universal meaning, it is born of wisdom, pure, unblemished, like a fragrance sublimated from this world of desire.The reputation that comes with performance has its advantages.This kind of fame is usually accompanied by a strong sensation.In many cases, this kind of sensation and thunder is enough to spread throughout Europe.But the fame gained through works comes gradually and slowly.In the beginning, its sound was faint, and then it gradually became louder.This fame usually has to pass through a century to reach its greatest moment.However, because the work lasts for a long time, this reputation sometimes lasts for thousands of years.But the reputation brought about by the deeds of action, after the initial deafening sound, gradually weakened, less known, and lost forever.In the end, it can only exist in history like a ghost.

[31] Lessing (1729-1781): German Enlightenment thinker, playwright, literary theorist. - translator

【32】Our greatest pleasure lies in being admired by others; but although admirers have good reasons to envy others, they are not willing to show their envy.So the happiest man is the one who can truly admire himself, no matter how he does it.As long as others don't make him doubt himself.

[33] Hobbes (1588-1679): British philosopher. - translator

[34] Milton (1608-1674): British poet and political commentator.Author of the long poem "Paradise Lost". - translator

[35] Betty (1735-1803): English poet and essayist. - translator

[36] D'Alembert (1717-1783): French mathematician, physicist, enlightenment thinker and philosopher. One of the editors of the Encyclopedia. - translator

(End of this chapter)