Category: Words of Wisdom

“Why do we call all our generous ideas illusions, and the mean ones truths?”
– Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth

The world has fallen into a great pessimism. Because it cannot see beauty, it has judged that there are no colors. Because it cannot hear music, it has judged that there are no songs. Because it cannot see heaven, it has judged that there is only dust underneath our feet.

If we can fall while reaching for the ideal, what will happen if we do not even try reaching it? If we can hurt each other while trying to be good, what happens if we succumb to the beast within?

It is not good to fall into illusions, but neither is it right to give up our dreams. Dreams that inspire us to be better men, that give us strength to face our daily burdens, that help us to rise again and again no matter how hard we may fall.

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honourable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4, WEBBE

Now I know the full power of evil. It makes ugliness seem beautiful and goodness seem ugly and weak. – August Strindberg, The Dance of Death

It’s not the face of evil. It is just a mask. So you’d think evil is beautiful and strong. So you’d think it’s desirable. But it is not. It’s just a mask.

And you are fooled by the mask. You thought you could achieve your heart’s desires. You thought you could do good. You thought your life could be meaningful. But then it’s just a mask.

The mask convinced you hatred is good, that it is power! That violence is glorious and that peace is cowardice.

The mask convinced you that war is necessary. That you can save many while damning some.

The mask convinced you that you’re wise. That you are wiser than those who aren’t resourceful enough, those who can’t be tough enough to believe that the end will always justify the means.

But in the end you’ll see, that it is just a mask.

The face of evil is behind it. The face that will terrify you! The face that will laugh at you when you realize… that you have been fooled… that everything good and beautiful about it was just a mask.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,
but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’”
The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,
for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
– Genesis 3:1-5 (WEB)

Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable. – G.K. Chesterton

We often confuse ourselves about what is good and what is evil not because we have no idea of what is right and wrong but, because we often try to make excuses for the wrong things we intend to do.

“It’s for the greater good,” we’d say. Or we’ll reason, “there is no other way.” But is this the way if the way itself is already wrong? We’d have fallen then into the darkness even before we ever arrive at the light we say we desire.

Do not make things more complicated than they have to be. Do not call evil good or good evil. Let’s not fool ourselves until we can no longer tell what it is we’re doing or who we have eventually become because of the choices we’ve made along the way.

God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Yahweh God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
– Genesis 3:11-13 (WEB)