lecture08-第1章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！











Lecture　VIII







THE　DIVIDED　SELF；　AND　THE　PROCESS　OF　ITS　UNIFICATION







The　last　lecture　was　a　painful　one；　dealing　as　it　did　with　evil



as　a　pervasive　element　of　the　world　we　live　in。　　At　the　close　of



it　we　were　brought　into　full　view　of　the　contrast　between　the　two



ways　of　looking　at　life　which　are　characteristic　respectively　of



what　we　called　the　healthy…minded；　who　need　to　be　born　only　once；



and　of　the　sick　souls；　who　must　be　twice…born　in　order　to　be



happy。　　The　result　is　two　different　conceptions　of　the　universe



of　our　experience。　　In　the　religion　of　the　once…born　the　world　is



a　sort　of　rectilinear　or　one…storied　affair；　whose　accounts　are



kept　in　one　denomination；　whose　parts　have　just　the　values　which



naturally　they　appear　to　have；　and　of　which　a　simple　algebraic



sum　of　pluses　and　minuses　will　give　the　total　worth。　　Happiness



and　religious　peace　consist　in　living　on　the　plus　side　of　the



account。　In　the　religion　of　the　twice…born；　on　the　other　hand；



the　world　is　a　double…storied　mystery。　　Peace　cannot　be　reached



by　the　simple　addition　of　pluses　and　elimination　of　minuses　from



life。　　Natural　good　is　not　simply　insufficient　in　amount　and



transient；　there　lurks　a　falsity　in　its　very　being。　Cancelled　as



it　all　is　by　death　if　not　by　earlier　enemies；　it　gives　no　final



balance；　and　can　never　be　the　thing　intended　for　our　lasting



worship。　It　keeps　us　from　our　real　good；　rather；　and　renunciation



and　despair　of　it　are　our　first　step　in　the　direction　of　the



truth。　　There　are　two　lives；　the　natural　and　the　spiritual；　and



we　must　lose　the　one　before　we　can　participate　in　the　other。



　



In　their　extreme　forms；　of　pure　naturalism　and　pure　salvationism；



the　two　types　are　violently　contrasted；　though　here　as　in　most



other　current　classifications；　the　radical　extremes　are　somewhat



ideal　abstractions；　and　the　concrete　human　beings　whom　we



oftenest　meet　are　intermediate　varieties　and　mixtures。　



Practically；　however；　you　all　recognize　the　difference：　　you



understand；　for　example；　the　disdain　of　the　methodist　convert　for



the　mere　sky…blue　healthy…minded　moralist；　and　you　likewise　enter



into　the　aversion　of　the　latter　to　what　seems　to　him　the　diseased



subjectivism　of　the　Methodist；　dying　to　live；　as　he　calls　it；　and



making　of　paradox　and　the　inversion　of　natural　appearances　the



essence　of　God's　truth。＇86＇







＇86＇　E。g。；　〃Our　young　people　are　diseased　with　the　theological



problems　of　original　sin；　origin　of　evil；　predestination；　and　the



like。　These　never　presented　a　practical　difficulty　to　any



mannever　darkened　across　any　man's　road；　who　did　not　go　out　of



his　way　to　seek　them。　　These　are　the　soul's　mumps；　and　measles；



and　whooping…coughs；　etc。　　Emerson：　　Spiritual　Laws。















The　psychological　basis　of　the　twice…born　character　seems　to　be　a



certain　discordancy　or　heterogeneity　in　the　native　temperament　of



the　subject；　an　incompletely　unified　moral　and　intellectual



constitution。







〃Homo　duplex；　homo　duplex！〃　writes　Alphonse　Daudet。　〃The　first



time　that　I　perceived　that　I　was　two　was　at　the　death　of　my



brother　Henri；　when　my　father　cried　out　so　dramatically；　'He　is



dead；　he　is　dead！'　　While　my　first　self　wept；　my　second　self



thought；　'How　truly　given　was　that　cry；　how　fine　it　would　be　at



the　theatre。'　　I　was　then　fourteen　years　old。







〃This　horrible　duality　has　often　given　me　matter　for　reflection。



Oh；　this　terrible　second　me；　always　seated　whilst　the　other　is　on



foot；　acting；　living；　suffering；　bestirring　itself。　　This　second



me　that　I　have　never　been　able　to　intoxicate；　to　make　shed　tears；



or　put　to　sleep。　And　how　it　sees　into　things；　and　how　it



mocks！〃＇87＇







＇87＇　Notes　sur　la　Vie；　p。　1。















Recent　works　on　the　psychology　of　character　have　had　much　to　say



upon　this　point。＇88＇　Some　persons　are　born　with　an　inner



constitution　which　is　harmonious　and　well　balanced　from　the



outset。　　Their　impulses　are　consistent　with　one　another；　their



will　follows　without　trouble　the　guidance　of　their　intellect；



their　passions　are　not　excessive；　and　their　lives　are　little



haunted　by　regrets。　　Others　are　oppositely　constituted；　and　are



so　in　degrees　which　may　vary　from　something　so　slight　as　to



result　in　a　merely　odd　or　whimsical　inconsistency；　to　a



discordancy　of　which　the　consequences　may　be　inconvenient　in　the



extreme。　　Of　the　more　innocent　kinds　of　heterogeneity　I　find　a



good　example　in　Mrs。　Annie　Besant's　autobiography。







＇88＇　See；　for　example；　F。　Paulhan；　in　his　book　Les　Caracteres；



1894；　who　contrasts　les　Equilibres；　les　Unifies；　with　les



Inquiets；　les　Contrariants；　les　Incoherents；　les　Emiettes；　as　so



many　diverse　psychic　types。















〃I　have　ever　been　the　queerest　mixture　of　weakness　and　strength；



and　have　paid　heavily　for　the　weakness。　　As　a　child　I　used　to



suffer　tortures　of　shyness；　and　if　my　shoe…lace　was　untied　would



feel　shamefacedly　that　every　eye　was　fixed　on　the　unlucky　string；



as　a　girl　I　would　shrink　away　from　strangers　and　think　myself



unwanted　and　unliked；　so　that　I　was　full　of　eager　gratitude　to



any　one　who　noticed　me　kindly；　as　the　young　mistress　of　a　house　I



was　afraid　of　my　servants；　and　would　let　careless　work　pass



rather　than　bear　the　pain　of　reproving　the　ill…doer；　when　I　have



been　lecturing　and　debating　with　no　lack　of　spirit　on　the



platform；　I　have　preferred　to　go　without　what　I　wanted　at　the



hotel　rather　than　to　ring　and　make　the　waiter　fetch　it。　



Combative　on　the　platform　in　defense　of　any　cause　I　cared　for；　I



shrink　from　quarrel　or　disapproval　in　the　house；　and　am　a　coward



at　heart　in　private　while　a　good　fighter　in　public。　　How　often



have　I　passed　unhappy　quarters　of　an　hour　screwing　up　my　courage



to　find　fault　with　some　subordinate　whom　my　duty　compelled　me　to



reprove；　and　how　often　have　I　jeered　myself　for　a　fraud　as　the



doughty　platform　combatant；　when　shrinking　from　blaming　some　lad



or　lass　for　doing　their　work　badly。　　An　unkind　look　or　word　has



availed　to　make　me　shrink　into　myself　as　a　snail　into　its　shell；



while；　on　the　platform；　opposition　makes　me　speak　my　best。〃＇89＇







＇89＇　Annie　Besant：　　an　Autobiography；　p。　82。















This　amount　of　inconsistency　will　only　count　as　amiable　weakness；



but　a　stronger　degree　of　heterogeneity　may　make　havoc　of　the



subject's　life。　　There　are　persons　whose　existence　is　little　more



than　a　series　of　zig…zags；　as　now　one　tendency　and　now　another



gets　the　upper　hand。　　Their　spirit　wars　with　their　flesh；　they



wish　for　incompatibles；　wayward　impulses　interrupt　their　most



deliberate　plans；　and　their　lives　are　one　long　drama　of



repentance　and　of　effort　to　repair　misdemeanors　and　mistakes。







Heterogeneous　personality　has　been　explained　as　the　result　of



inheritancethe　traits　of　character　of　incompatible　and



antagonistic　ancestors　are　supposed　to　be　preserved　alongside　of



each　other。＇90＇　This　explanation　may　pass　for　what　it　is



worthit　certainly　needs　corroboration。　　But　whatever　the　cause



of　heterogeneous　personality　may　be；　we　find　the　extreme　examples



of　it　in　the　psychopathic　temperament；　of　which　I　spoke　in　my



first　lecture。　　All　writers　about　that　temperament　make　the　inner



heterogeneity　prominent　in　their　descriptions。　　Frequently；



indeed；　it　is　only　this　trait　that　leads　us　to　ascribe　that



temperament　to　a　man　at　all。　　A　〃degenere　superieur〃　is　simply　a



man　of　sensibility　in　many　directions；　who　finds　more　difficulty



than　is　common　in　ke