VIII
THE REFLECTIVE MOOD
The exercise of concentrating the mind (to which at least half an hour a day should be given) is a mere1 preliminary, like scales on the piano. Having acquired power over that most unruly member of one's complex organism, one has naturally to put it to the yoke2. Useless to possess an obedient mind unless one profits to the furthest possible degree by its obedience3. A prolonged primary course of study is indicated.
Now as to what this course of study should be there cannot be any question; there never has been any question. All the sensible people of all ages are agreed upon it. And it is not literature, nor is it any other art, nor is it history, nor is it any science. It is the study of one's self. Man, know thyself. These words are so hackneyed that verily I blush to write them. Yet they must be written, for they need to be written. (I take back my blush, being ashamed of it.) Man, know thyself. I say it out loud. The phrase is one of those phrases with which everyone is familiar, of which everyone acknowledges the value, and which only the most sagacious put into practice. I don't know why. I am entirely4 convinced that what is more than anything else lacking in the life of the average well-intentioned man of to-day is the reflective mood.
We do not reflect. I mean that we do not reflect upon genuinely important things; upon the problem of our happiness, upon the main direction in which we are going, upon what life is giving to us, upon the share which reason has (or has not) in determining our actions, and upon the relation between our principles and our conduct.
And yet you are in search of happiness, are you not? Have you discovered it?
The chances are that you have not. The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained5 it. And they have attained it by realising that happiness does not spring from the procuring6 of physical or mental pleasure, but from the development of reason and the adjustment of conduct to principles.
I suppose that you will not have the audacity7 to deny this. And if you admit it, and still devote no part of your day to the deliberate consideration of your reason, principles, and conduct, you admit also that while striving for a certain thing you are regularly leaving undone8 the one act which is necessary to the attainment9 of that thing.
Now, shall I blush, or will you?
Do not fear that I mean to thrust certain principles upon your attention. I care not (in this place) what your principles are. Your principles may induce you to believe in the righteousness of burglary. I don't mind. All I urge is that a life in which conduct does not fairly well accord with principles is a silly life; and that conduct can only be made to accord with principles by means of daily examination, reflection, and resolution. What leads to the permanent sorrowfulness of burglars is that their principles are contrary to burglary. If they genuinely believed in the moral excellence10 of burglary, penal11 servitude would simply mean so many happy years for them; all martyrs12 are happy, because their conduct and their principles agree.
As for reason (which makes conduct, and is not unconnected with the making of principles), it plays a far smaller part in our lives than we fancy. We are supposed to be reasonable but we are much more instinctive13 than reasonable. And the less we reflect, the less reasonable we shall be. The next time you get cross with the waiter because your steak is over-cooked, ask reason to step into the cabinet-room of your mind, and consult her. She will probably tell you that the waiter did not cook the steak, and had no control over the cooking of the steak; and that even if he alone was to blame, you accomplished14 nothing good by getting cross; you merely lost your dignity, looked a fool in the eyes of sensible men, and soured the waiter, while producing no effect whatever on the steak.
The result of this consultation15 with reason (for which she makes no charge) will be that when once more your steak is over-cooked you will treat the waiter as a fellow-creature, remain quite calm in a kindly16 spirit, and politely insist on having a fresh steak. The gain will be obvious and solid.
In the formation or modification17 of principles, and the practice of conduct, much help can be derived18 from printed books (issued at sixpence each and upwards). I mentioned in my last chapter Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus. Certain even more widely known works will occur at once to the memory. I may also mention Pascal, La Bruyere, and Emerson. For myself, you do not catch me travelling without my Marcus Aurelius. Yes, books are valuable. But not reading of books will take the place of a daily, candid19, honest examination of what one has recently done, and what one is about to do—of a steady looking at one's self in the face (disconcerting though the sight may be).
When shall this important business be accomplished? The solitude20 of the evening journey home appears to me to be suitable for it. A reflective mood naturally follows the exertion21 of having earned the day's living. Of course if, instead of attending to an elementary and profoundly important duty, you prefer to read the paper (which you might just as well read while waiting for your dinner) I have nothing to say. But attend to it at some time of the day you must. I now come to the evening hours.
1 mere [mɪə(r)] 第7级 | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 yoke [jəʊk] 第9级 | |
n.轭;支配;vt.给...上轭,连接,使成配偶;vi.结合;匹配 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 obedience [ə'bi:dɪəns] 第8级 | |
n.服从,顺从 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 entirely [ɪnˈtaɪəli] 第9级 | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 attained [ə'teɪnd] 第7级 | |
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 procuring [prəʊˈkjʊərɪŋ] 第9级 | |
v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的现在分词 );拉皮条 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 audacity [ɔ:ˈdæsəti] 第11级 | |
n.大胆,卤莽,无礼 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 undone [ˌʌn'dʌn] 第7级 | |
a.未做完的,未完成的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 attainment [əˈteɪnmənt] 第9级 | |
n.达到,到达;[常pl.]成就,造诣 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 excellence [ˈeksələns] 第8级 | |
n.优秀,杰出,(pl.)优点,美德 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 penal [ˈpi:nl] 第11级 | |
adj.刑罚的;刑法上的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 martyrs [ˈmɑ:təz] 第9级 | |
n.martyr的复数形式;烈士( martyr的名词复数 );殉道者;殉教者;乞怜者(向人诉苦以博取同情) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 instinctive [ɪnˈstɪŋktɪv] 第9级 | |
adj.(出于)本能的;直觉的;(出于)天性的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 accomplished [əˈkʌmplɪʃt] 第8级 | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 consultation [ˌkɒnslˈteɪʃn] 第9级 | |
n.咨询;商量;商议;会议 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 kindly [ˈkaɪndli] 第8级 | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 modification [ˌmɒdɪfɪˈkeɪʃn] 第8级 | |
n.修改,改进,缓和,减轻 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 derived [dɪ'raɪvd] 第7级 | |
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 candid [ˈkændɪd] 第9级 | |
adj.公正的,正直的;坦率的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|