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第14章

01-what is man-第14章

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inside of me has half…intended to order me to set them to paper

and publish them。  Do I have to tell you why the order has

remained unissued; or can you explain so simply a thing without

my help?



Y。M。  By your doctrine; it is simplicity itself:  outside

influences moved your interior Master to give the order; stronger

outside influences deterred him。  Without the outside influences;

neither of these impulses could ever have been born; since a

person's brain is incapable or originating an idea within itself。



O。M。  Correct。  Go on。



Y。M。  The matter of publishing or withholding is still in your

Master's hands。  If some day an outside influence shall determine

him to publish; he will give the order; and it will be obeyed。



O。M。  That is correct。  Well?



Y。M。  Upon reflection I have arrived at the conviction

that the publication of your doctrines would be harmful。

Do you pardon me?



O。M。  Pardon YOU?  You have done nothing。  You are an

instrumenta speaking…trumpet。  Speaking…trumpets are not

responsible for what is said through them。  Outside influences

in the form of lifelong teachings; trainings; notions;

prejudices; and other second…hand importationshave persuaded

the Master within you that the publication of these doctrines

would be harmful。  Very well; this is quite natural; and was to

be expected; in fact; was inevitable。  Go on; for the sake of

ease and convenience; stick to habit:  speak in the first person;

and tell me what your Master thinks about it。



Y。M。  Well; to begin:  it is a desolating doctrine; it is

not inspiring; enthusing; uplifting。  It takes the glory out of

man; it takes the pride out of him; it takes the heroism out of

him; it denies him all personal credit; all applause; it not only

degrades him to a machine; but allows him no control over the

machine; makes a mere coffee…mill of him; and neither permits him

to supply the coffee nor turn the crank; his sole and piteously

humble function being to grind coarse or fine; according to his

make; outside impulses doing the rest。



O。M。  It is correctly stated。  Tell mewhat do men admire

most in each other?



Y。M。  Intellect; courage; majesty of build; beauty of

countenance; charity; benevolence; magnanimity; kindliness;

heroism; andand



O。M。  I would not go any further。  These are ELEMENTALS。

Virtue; fortitude; holiness; truthfulness; loyalty; high ideals

these; and all the related qualities that are named in the

dictionary; are MADE OF THE ELEMENTALS; by blendings;

combinations; and shadings of the elementals; just as one makes

green by blending blue and yellow; and makes several shades and

tints of red by modifying the elemental red。  There are several

elemental colors; they are all in the rainbow; out of them we

manufacture and name fifty shades of them。  You have named the

elementals of the human rainbow; and also one BLENDheroism;

which is made out of courage and magnanimity。  Very well; then;

which of these elements does the possessor of it manufacture for

himself?  Is it intellect?



Y。M。  No。



O。M。  Why?



Y。M。  He is born with it。



O。M。  Is it courage?



Y。M。  No。  He is born with it。



O。M。  Is it majesty of build; beauty of countenance?



Y。M。  No。  They are birthrights。



O。M。  Take those othersthe elemental moral qualities

charity; benevolence; magnanimity; kindliness; fruitful seeds;

out of which spring; through cultivation by outside influences;

all the manifold blends and combinations of virtues named in the

dictionaries:  does man manufacture any of those seeds; or are

they all born in him?



Y。M。  Born in him。



O。M。  Who manufactures them; then?



Y。M。  God。



O。M。  Where does the credit of it belong?



Y。M。  To God。



O。M。  And the glory of which you spoke; and the applause?



Y。M。  To God。



O。M。  Then it is YOU who degrade man。  You make him claim

glory; praise; flattery; for every valuable thing he possesses

BORROWED finery; the whole of it; no rag of it earned by himself;

not a detail of it produced by his own labor。  YOU make man a

humbug; have I done worse by him?



Y。M。  You have made a machine of him。



O。M。  Who devised that cunning and beautiful mechanism; a

man's hand?



Y。M。  God。



O。M。  Who devised the law by which it automatically hammers

out of a piano an elaborate piece of music; without error; while

the man is thinking about something else; or talking to a friend?



Y。M。  God。



O。M。  Who devised the blood?  Who devised the wonderful

machinery which automatically drives its renewing and refreshing

streams through the body; day and night; without assistance or

advice from the man?  Who devised the man's mind; whose machinery

works automatically; interests itself in what it pleases;

regardless of its will or desire; labors all night when it likes;

deaf to his appeals for mercy?  God devised all these things。

_I_ have not made man a machine; God made him a machine。  I am

merely calling attention to the fact; nothing more。  Is it wrong

to call attention to the fact?  Is it a crime?



Y。M。  I think it is wrong to EXPOSE a fact when harm can

come of it。



O。M。  Go on。



Y。M。  Look at the matter as it stands now。  Man has been

taught that he is the supreme marvel of the Creation; he believes

it; in all the ages he has never doubted it; whether he was a

naked savage; or clothed in purple and fine linen; and civilized。

This has made his heart buoyant; his life cheery。  His pride in

himself; his sincere admiration of himself; his joy in what he

supposed were his own and unassisted achievements; and his

exultation over the praise and applause which they evokedthese

have exalted him; enthused him; ambitioned him to higher and

higher flights; in a word; made his life worth the living。  But

by your scheme; all this is abolished; he is degraded to a

machine; he is a nobody; his noble prides wither to mere

vanities; let him strive as he may; he can never be any better

than his humblest and stupidest neighbor; he would never be

cheerful again; his life would not be worth the living。



O。M。  You really think that?



Y。M。  I certainly do。



O。M。  Have you ever seen me uncheerful; unhappy。



Y。M。  No。



O。M。  Well; _I_ believe these things。  Why have they not

made me unhappy?



Y。M。  Oh; welltemperament; of course!  You never let THAT

escape from your scheme。



O。M。  That is correct。  If a man is born with an unhappy

temperament; nothing can make him happy; if he is born with a

happy temperament; nothing can make him unhappy。



Y。M。  Whatnot even a degrading and heart…chilling system

of beliefs?



O。M。  Beliefs?  Mere beliefs?  Mere convictions?  They are

powerless。  They strive in vain against inborn temperament。



Y。M。  I can't believe that; and I don't。



O。M。  Now you are speaking hastily。  It shows that you have

not studiously examined the facts。  Of all your intimates; which

one is the happiest?  Isn't it Burgess?



Y。M。  Easily。



O。M。  And which one is the unhappiest?  Henry Adams?



Y。M。  Without a question!



O。M。  I know them well。  They are extremes; abnormals; their

temperaments are as opposite as the poles。  Their life…histories

are about alikebut look at the results!  Their ages are about

the sameabout around fifty。  Burgess had always been buoyant;

hopeful; happy; Adams has always been cheerless; hopeless;

despondent。  As young fellows both tried country journalismand

failed。  Burgess didn't seem to mind it; Adams couldn't smile; he

could only mourn and groan over what had happened and torture

himself with vain regrets for not having done so and so instead

of so and soTHEN he would have succeeded。  They tried the law

and failed。  Burgess remained happybecause he couldn't help it。

Adams was wretchedbecause he couldn't help it。  From that day

to this; those two men have gone on trying things and failing:

Burgess has come out happy and cheerful every time; Adams the

reverse。  And we do absolutely know that these men's inborn

temperaments have remained unchanged through all the vicissitudes

of their material affairs。  Let us see how it is with their

immaterials。  Both have been zealous Democrats; both have been

zealous Republicans; both have been zealous Mugwumps。  Burgess

has always found happiness and Adams unhappiness in these several

political beliefs and in their migrations out of them。  Both of

these men have been Presbyterians; Universalists; Methodists;

Catholicsthen Presbyterians again; then Methodists again。

Burgess has always found rest in these excursions; and Adams

unrest。  They are trying Christian Science; now; with the

customary result; the inevitable result。  No political or

religious belief can make Burgess unhappy or the other man happy。

I assure you it is purely a matter of temperament。  Beliefs are

ACQUIREMENTS; temperaments are BORN; beliefs are subject to

change; nothing whatever can change temperament。



Y。M。  You have instanced extreme temperaments。



O。M。  Yes; the half…dozen others are modifications of the

extremes。  But the law is the same。  Where the temperament is

two…thirds happy; or two…thirds unhappy; no political or

religious beliefs can change the proportions。  The vast majority

of temperaments are pretty equally balanced; the intensities are

absent; and this enables a nation to learn to accommodate itself

to its political and religious circumstances and like them; be

satisfied with them; at last prefer them。  Nations do not THINK;

they only FEEL。 They get their feelings at second hand through

their temperaments; not their brains。  A nation can be brought

by force of circumstances; not argumentto reconcile itself to

ANY KIND OF GOVERNMENT OR RELIGION THAT CAN BE DEVISED; in time

it will fit itself to the required conditions; later; it will

prefer them and will fiercely fight for them。  As instances; you

have all history:  the Greeks; the Romans; the Persians; the

Egyptians; the Russians; the Germans; the French; the English;

the Spaniards; the Americans; the South Americans; the Japanese;

the Chinese; the Hindus; the Turksa thousand wild and tame

religions; every kind of government that can be thought of; from

tiger to house…cat; each nation KNOWING it has the only true

religion and the only sane system of government; each despising

all the others; each an ass and not suspecting it; each proud of

its fancied supremacy; each perfectly sure it is the pet of God;

each without undoubting confidence summoning Him to take command

in time of war; each surprised when He goes over to the enemy;

but by habit able to excuse it and resume complimentsin a word;

the whole human race content; always content; persistently

content; indestructibly content; happy; thankful; proud; NO

MATTER WHAT ITS RELIGION IS; NOR WHETHER ITS MASTER BE TIGER

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