SPIRITUAL SELF-DISCIPLINE
The preceding volume in its entirety and in every part is nothing else than a book of spiritual self-discipline. Every religion presents to its followers1 as real objects that the eye has not seen. The certainty of the existence of these objects, religious certainty, religious conviction, springs from one or other kind of need and distress2. The object that the eye has not seen is believed in because it corresponds to that need, and relieves that distress. Furthermore, the conviction is strengthened, the certainty intensified3, by two methods: (1) elaboration of the ideas presented; (2) performing acts in the doing of which the existence of the objects is presupposed. Thus the idea of the Heavenly Father corresponds to the childlike need of protection. The elaboration of this idea in theological systems strengthens its hold, every idea being powerful as an active force in proportion as it is worked out in detail and linked up with other ideas. And ceremonies, prayers, acts of worship in the doing of which the reality of the Father-God is presupposed, strengthen the belief in him. Conduct is one of the chief sources of belief. The more frequently a devout4 Roman Catholic prays to the Virgin5 Mary, the more firmly will he be convinced that she exists and hears him. These features are common to all religion: unseen objects are presented as real; the belief in their reality is augmented6 by elaboration of the ideas; and above all their hold is reinforced by practice founded on and presuming the reality of the ideas.
The unseen object which the religion of spiritual experience presents is the unique personality. The lines along which the ideas are to be elaborated have been sketched7 in the above.366 Conduct based on the presumption8 that the divine nature exists in every human being is the principal means of fortifying9 that conviction, and this presumption itself rests on the fundamental fact of worth.
The difference in rank between the various religions depends on the kind of need which they seek to satisfy. It may be physical, as when the worshiper prays for large herds10 and fruitful crops. It may be the urging of a passion, as when a man prays for revenge on his enemies. And it may be ethical11. And if ethical, it may be purely12 ethical, or ethical with non-ethical elements admixed. A religion is neither approved nor condemned13 because it satisfies a need. The judgment14 passed on it depends on the kind of need it undertakes to satisfy.
Seek to raise the plus traits to the Nth degree. Seek through spiritual sex interaction to release the spiritual life in the child. Bring to birth in thyself the idea of the state, etc. Every chapter of this volume contains some direction as to the lines of conduct to be followed. The principal self-discipline consists in the effort to follow these lines.
But experience tells us that the effort may be hindered or helped in certain ways. I shall mention a few of the helps and hindrances16:
Physical and Mental Athleticism17 are helps to Moral Athleticism. Ethics18 is a science of energetics. Bodily and mental energy is favorable to ethical energizing19. By mental energy I understand especially the habit of vigorously attacking complex and difficult mental problems.
Right Asceticism20 is related to Ethical Development. I exclude self-abnegation and self-repression21 practiced as drill apart from any particular occasion requiring them, holding that self-repression should always be incidental to self-expression. This applies especially to the hygiene22 of the sex passion. A positive ideal of the sex relation, as in marriage, is an invaluable23 help in ennobling and thereby24 restraining the passion.
The Ethical Life is the supremely25 Planful Life. There is a hierarchy27 of ends of which the ethical is the apex28. The ethical367 end is the supreme26 end to which all others are to be planfully subordinated. The habit of conducting one’s life planfully is favorable to ethical behavior. I say planfully, not pedantically30, due regard being always had to spontaneity.
Among hindrances to Ethical development may be mentioned the tendency to be satisfied with the minor31 perfections. The better is the greatest enemy of the best. The disproportionate value set on the embellishments of life is but one illustration of this point.
A great hindrance15 to the spiritual life is the necessity under which we lie of restricting our actual ethical relations to a few persons. We cannot extend our influence to the millions of China and India. We cannot even deeply influence a considerable number of our fellow citizens. On ethical grounds we do acknowledge the claims of each individual, of all these myriads32 of human beings. Yet as far as any actual good we can do them is concerned, we are powerless, and must leave them to their fate. The tragic33 aspect of life comes home to us sharply at this point. Intensity34 must take the place of extensity. Intensive spiritual relations with a few will teach us at least to conceive worthily35 of those personalities36 whom we cannot directly affect, and to invest them in idea with the honor which is their due.
Intimate spiritual relations with a few will also counteract37 the unethical habit of labeling those with whom we come into casual contact according to the special functions they happen to exercise. Thus a letter-carrier is apt to be thought of as an animated38 machine to carry letters, a stenographer39 as a kind of animated machine to take dictation, the servant in the house a machine to render physical service. The more complete our appreciation40 of personality is in the case of the few, the more we shall be impelled41 to transfer the concept of personality, at least in its outlines, to all others. In this way our friendships, our close relations, will not restrict our ethical horizon. In the narrower circle we shall engender42 those ideas which in thought368 at least we can carry out to the farthest limits of human society.
But among the hindrances to ethical practice the two most conspicuous43 must not be omitted. They are pity and terror, pity for the pain suffered by others, fear of pain for oneself. Aristotle regarded it as the high function of the tragic drama to liberate44 men from these disturbing factors. The two are combined and in consequence exacerbated45 to an extreme degree in those situations where the pain suffered by another person is at the same time poignantly46 felt as one’s own pain. And the anguish47 felt in seeing the physical suffering of another is even exceeded in witnessing the moral degradation48 of another, as of an erring49 son or an apparently50 irreclaimable husband or wife. The doctrine51 of frustration52 as explained in this volume is intended to show the way of relief in such situations. But it is only by not shirking the pain, by permitting it fully29 to penetrate53, by uncovering the breast entirely54 to the entrance of the pointed55 spear that we shall have the experience of the transformation56 of it into the shaft57 of light.
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APPENDIX II
THE EXERCISE OF FORCE IN THE INTEREST OF FREEDOM
Force is a moral adiaphoron. The stigma58 attaching to the use of force belongs rather to its abuse. The employment of force is good or bad according as the ends for which it is used are good or bad.
The precept59 of non-resistance in the Sermon on the Mount is to be understood as a piece of ethical irony60.
The right, or to be more explicit61, the duty, of society to coerce62 individual members of it rests on the same ground and holds within the same limits as the duty of the individual to coerce himself. Self-coercion63 depends on the difference in the quality of one’s impulses, on the choice one is bound to make between competitive ends. Self-coercion is of two kinds: stimulative64 and repressive; stimulative to overcome inertia65, repressive to subject wrong to right impulses.
He who denies the duty of self-coercion, to be consistent, must fall back on the position of the Cynics. For the Cynics were indeed consistent. They asserted not only the right of the individual to be free from outside compulsion, but also the right of each individual moment of the individual’s life to be lived without regard or subjection to future moments. Hence they rejected civilization and its tasks, inasmuch as the prosecution66 of any task involves the subordination of the present to the content of some future moment.
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But if the coercion of a man by himself be admitted, it follows that the exercise of force upon a man by society must in principle be likewise admitted. For we are social by nature; we take an interest in the achievement by each one of his ends, and we regard such achievement as a social-benefit.
As to the limits within which outside interference is to be permitted and welcomed, these can best be ascertained68 by fastening attention upon the end to be attained69. And here the positive conception of freedom seems to be the most helpful,—freedom defined as the release in each one of his essential self, that is, of his distinctive70 gift and capability71, or of that in him which is unique or most nearly so. A society in which such valuable contributions were elicited72 from each would be the ideal society. Stimulative and repressive social coercion are justified73 in so far as they provoke energy and check disturbing impulses,—always of course without discouraging spontaneity, which is the very good to be secured.
The antithesis74 of reason and force common in discussions of this subject seems misleading and inadequate75; since reason is a faculty76 of inference and not of preference, has to do with the adapting of means to ends, and does not of itself afford guidance in the choice of ends.
The concept of freedom as defined is more illuminating77. Let freedom and force be contrasted, not reason and force.
The idea of law that would follow from what has been said may be illustrated78 by comparing the action of law with that of automatism in the human body. The system of co-ordinations by which we learn to walk, or acquire any kind of skill, such as that of performing on a musical instrument, is at first painfully and consciously acquired. Consciousness superintends every step in the process. But after a time the sequences reel off automatically. Consciousness retires from the field, ascends79 to a higher plane, and devotes itself to more interesting and significant business. Law, taking it in its broadest sense, may be regarded as the automatic machinery80 of freedom. It is the system of stimulations and repressions81 which the experience of mankind at any given time has found conducive82 to the attain371ment of the superior ends of life. In the minds of the more advanced members of the community repressive laws like the prohibitions83 of murder, theft, etc., have already become automatic. Such a thing as questioning or transgressing84 these laws never once in a lifetime occurs to them. (Of the stimulative laws, such as the requirement to pay taxes in support of the progressive interests of society, the same is not yet true.) As regards the backward members of society, however, the repressive laws are educative. Just as in certain diseases the convalescent needs to acquire anew the art of walking, which his neighbors exercise without thinking, so the backward members of society have to learn painfully those habits of repression which for others have sunk below the threshold of consciousness.
Social compulsion therefore may be defined as discipline in the interest of positive freedom. We may expect that in future this salutary kind of compulsion will go to even much greater lengths than it has yet gone. Society as organized in the state has undoubtedly85 the right to interfere67 in the choice of the sexes by prohibiting the marriage of persons afflicted86 with infectious disease. If the study of human character could ever be so far developed as to determine what kind of temperaments87 are radically88 incompatible89 with one another (a bare throw in the air of course), it would be within the province of the state to prohibit the conjugal90 union of such temperaments, and thus to prevent the disastrous91 effects on real freedom which such incompatibilities are apt to cause.
I am well aware of the perils92 of this point of view. There is a brutal93 factor in the action of society, as in that of individuals. A given community is apt to mistake its prejudices for principles, its torpor94 for conservatism, its superstitions95 for spirituality. Such apprehensions96 as those that weighed on the mind of John Stuart Mill as set forth97 in his Essay on Liberty are not to be lightly dismissed. And yet the main trend of his argument was plainly determined98 by an individualistic conception of liberty which many of us no longer share. It is safe to say372 that on the whole the benefits of coercion outweigh99 the detriments100. We have only to picture to ourselves a state of society in which these coercions should not exist to realize that this is so. The dangers are real, but are due to the abuse of force and not to the exercise of it under the controlling idea of positive freedom which is here proposed.
The End
The End
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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Augmented
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| adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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sketched
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| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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fortifying
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| 筑防御工事于( fortify的现在分词 )； 筑堡于； 增强； 强化（食品） | |
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herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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ethical
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| adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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hindrance
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| n.妨碍，障碍 | |
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hindrances
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| 阻碍者( hindrance的名词复数 )； 障碍物； 受到妨碍的状态 | |
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athleticism
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| n.运动竞赛，崇尚运动，竞技热 | |
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ethics
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| n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准 | |
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energizing
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| v.给予…精力，能量( energize的现在分词 )；使通电 | |
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asceticism
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| n.禁欲主义 | |
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repression
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| n.镇压，抑制，抑压 | |
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hygiene
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| n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic） | |
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invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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supremely
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| adv.无上地，崇高地 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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hierarchy
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| n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层 | |
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apex
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| n.顶点，最高点 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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pedantically
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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worthily
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| 重要地，可敬地，正当地 | |
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personalities
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| n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 ) | |
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counteract
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| vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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stenographer
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| n.速记员 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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engender
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| v.产生，引起 | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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liberate
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| v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由 | |
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exacerbated
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| v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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poignantly
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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degradation
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| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
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erring
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| 做错事的，错误的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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53
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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stigma
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| n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头 | |
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precept
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| n.戒律；格言 | |
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irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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explicit
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| adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的 | |
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coerce
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| v.强迫，压制 | |
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coercion
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| n.强制，高压统治 | |
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stimulative
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| n.刺激，促进因素adj.刺激的，激励的，促进的 | |
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inertia
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| adj.惰性，惯性，懒惰，迟钝 | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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attained
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| （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） | |
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distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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capability
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| n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等 | |
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elicited
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| 引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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antithesis
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| n.对立；相对 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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illuminating
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| a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的 | |
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illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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ascends
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 ) | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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repressions
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| n.压抑( repression的名词复数 )；约束；抑制；镇压 | |
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conducive
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| adj.有益的，有助的 | |
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prohibitions
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| 禁令，禁律( prohibition的名词复数 )； 禁酒； 禁例 | |
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transgressing
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| v.超越( transgress的现在分词 )；越过；违反；违背 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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temperaments
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| 性格( temperament的名词复数 )； （人或动物的）气质； 易冲动； （性情）暴躁 | |
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88
radically
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| ad.根本地，本质地 | |
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89
incompatible
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| adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的 | |
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90
conjugal
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| adj.婚姻的，婚姻性的 | |
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91
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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92
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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93
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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94
torpor
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| n.迟钝；麻木；（动物的）冬眠 | |
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95
superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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96
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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97
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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98
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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99
outweigh
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| vt.比...更重，...更重要 | |
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100
detriments
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| n.损害，伤害（detriment的复数形式） | |
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