XII
DANGERS TO AVOID
I cannot terminate these hints, often, I fear, too didactic and abrupt1, upon the full use of one's time to the great end of living (as distinguished2 from vegetating) without briefly3 referring to certain dangers which lie in wait for the sincere aspirant4 towards life. The first is the terrible danger of becoming that most odious5 and least supportable of persons—a prig. Now a prig is a pert fellow who gives himself airs of superior wisdom. A prig is a pompous6 fool who has gone out for a ceremonial walk, and without knowing it has lost an important part of his attire7, namely, his sense of humour. A prig is a tedious individual who, having made a discovery, is so impressed by his discovery that he is capable of being gravely displeased8 because the entire world is not also impressed by it. Unconsciously to become a prig is an easy and a fatal thing.
Hence, when one sets forth9 on the enterprise of using all one's time, it is just as well to remember that one's own time, and not other people's time, is the material with which one has to deal; that the earth rolled on pretty comfortably before one began to balance a budget of the hours, and that it will continue to roll on pretty comfortably whether or not one succeeds in one's new role of chancellor10 of the exchequer11 of time. It is as well not to chatter12 too much about what one is doing, and not to betray a too-pained sadness at the spectacle of a whole world deliberately13 wasting so many hours out of every day, and therefore never really living. It will be found, ultimately, that in taking care of one's self one has quite all one can do.
Another danger is the danger of being tied to a programme like a slave to a chariot. One's programme must not be allowed to run away with one. It must be respected, but it must not be worshipped as a fetish. A programme of daily employ is not a religion.
This seems obvious. Yet I know men whose lives are a burden to themselves and a distressing14 burden to their relatives and friends simply because they have failed to appreciate the obvious. "Oh, no," I have heard the martyred wife exclaim, "Arthur always takes the dog out for exercise at eight o'clock and he always begins to read at a quarter to nine. So it's quite out of the question that we should..." etc., etc. And the note of absolute finality in that plaintive15 voice reveals the unsuspected and ridiculous tragedy of a career.
On the other hand, a programme is a programme. And unless it is treated with deference16 it ceases to be anything but a poor joke. To treat one's programme with exactly the right amount of deference, to live with not too much and not too little elasticity17, is scarcely the simple affair it may appear to the inexperienced.
And still another danger is the danger of developing a policy of rush, of being gradually more and more obsessed18 by what one has to do next. In this way one may come to exist as in a prison, and one's life may cease to be one's own. One may take the dog out for a walk at eight o'clock, and meditate19 the whole time on the fact that one must begin to read at a quarter to nine, and that one must not be late.
And the occasional deliberate breaking of one's programme will not help to mend matters. The evil springs not from persisting without elasticity in what one has attempted, but from originally attempting too much, from filling one's programme till it runs over. The only cure is to reconstitute the programme, and to attempt less.
But the appetite for knowledge grows by what it feeds on, and there are men who come to like a constant breathless hurry of endeavour20. Of them it may be said that a constant breathless hurry is better than an eternal doze21.
In any case, if the programme exhibits a tendency to be oppressive, and yet one wishes not to modify it, an excellent palliative is to pass with exaggerated deliberation from one portion of it to another; for example, to spend five minutes in perfect mental quiescence22 between chaining up the St. Bernard and opening the book; in other words, to waste five minutes with the entire consciousness of wasting them.
The last, and chiefest danger which I would indicate, is one to which I have already referred—the risk of a failure at the commencement of the enterprise.
I must insist on it.
A failure at the commencement may easily kill outright23 the newborn impulse towards a complete vitality24, and therefore every precaution should be observed to avoid it. The impulse must not be over-taxed. Let the pace of the first lap be even absurdly slow, but let it be as regular as possible.
And, having once decided25 to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium26 and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished27 a tiresome28 labour is immense.
Finally, in choosing the first occupations of those evening hours, be guided by nothing whatever but your taste and natural inclination29.
It is a fine thing to be a walking encyclopaedia30 of philosophy, but if you happen to have no liking31 for philosophy, and to have a like for the natural history of street-cries, much better leave philosophy alone, and take to street-cries.
1 abrupt [əˈbrʌpt] 第7级 | |
adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的 | |
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2 distinguished [dɪˈstɪŋgwɪʃt] 第8级 | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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3 briefly [ˈbri:fli] 第8级 | |
adv.简单地,简短地 | |
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4 aspirant [əˈspaɪərənt] 第11级 | |
n.热望者;有抱负的人;adj.渴望的;上进的,有野心的 | |
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5 odious [ˈəʊdiəs] 第10级 | |
adj.可憎的,讨厌的 | |
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6 pompous [ˈpɒmpəs] 第9级 | |
adj.傲慢的,自大的;夸大的;豪华的 | |
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7 attire [əˈtaɪə(r)] 第10级 | |
vt.穿衣,装扮[同]array;n.衣着;盛装 | |
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8 displeased [dis'pli:zd] 第8级 | |
a.不快的 | |
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9 forth [fɔ:θ] 第7级 | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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10 chancellor ['tʃɑ:nsələ(r)] 第7级 | |
n.(英)大臣;法官;(德、奥)总理;大学校长 | |
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11 exchequer [ɪksˈtʃekə(r)] 第12级 | |
n.财政部;国库 | |
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12 chatter [ˈtʃætə(r)] 第7级 | |
vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战 | |
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13 deliberately [dɪˈlɪbərətli] 第7级 | |
adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地 | |
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14 distressing [dis'tresiŋ] 第7级 | |
a.使人痛苦的 | |
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15 plaintive [ˈpleɪntɪv] 第10级 | |
adj.可怜的,伤心的 | |
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16 deference [ˈdefərəns] 第9级 | |
n.尊重,顺从;敬意 | |
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17 elasticity [ˌi:læˈstɪsəti] 第8级 | |
n.弹性,伸缩力 | |
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18 obsessed [əb'ses] 第8级 | |
adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 | |
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19 meditate [ˈmedɪteɪt] 第8级 | |
vt. 考虑;计划;企图 vi. 冥想;沉思 | |
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20 endeavour [ɪn'devə(r)] 第7级 | |
n.尽力;努力;力图 | |
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21 doze [dəʊz] 第8级 | |
vi. 打瞌睡;假寐 vt. 打瞌睡度过 n. 瞌睡 | |
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22 quiescence [kwɪ'esns] 第10级 | |
n.静止 | |
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23 outright [ˈaʊtraɪt] 第10级 | |
adv.坦率地;彻底地;立即;adj.无疑的;彻底的 | |
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24 vitality [vaɪˈtæləti] 第8级 | |
n.活力,生命力,效力 | |
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25 decided [dɪˈsaɪdɪd] 第7级 | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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26 tedium [ˈti:diəm] 第10级 | |
n.单调;烦闷 | |
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27 accomplished [əˈkʌmplɪʃt] 第8级 | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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28 tiresome [ˈtaɪəsəm] 第7级 | |
adj.令人疲劳的,令人厌倦的 | |
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29 inclination [ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃn] 第7级 | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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30 encyclopaedia [enˌsaɪkləʊ'pi:djə] 第8级 | |
n.百科全书 | |
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