last part of the advice of the philosopher acomon to the young prince nerrio
May 23, 2008
Stephan Egey wrote this essay in 1990. Stephan was much more intelligent than I am, he was gentle and very kind,
good-natured and creative. It makes me very sad that he is dead- I will always remember him !
You must know, dear Sir, that the philosophers have judged the human beings with many a measure, and have categorized time after time the sets of single people into
big and small groups, which behave in a broader respect as well as in detail similarly or even in the same way while they make their journey through life. Even though the voices of the philosophers, that sound from a large distance like a chorus,
split often up, if you listen more carefully, into differing or even contradictory voices,there is, by and large, a consent how the ways of the mortals should be.
The genuine nucleus, or, how some say, the essence of bein human, lies in irresolvably embracing the three fleeting boons of life, out of which mortality, the most certain one, is the final one that crowns and ends life.All acts and plans of the individual are limited and lost in time, and those are blessed, who can truely comprehend this fact and strip off all sadnes to merrily accept that life will elapse.The highest accomplishment that humans can reach is to enlighten and illuminate their surrounding and companions with the
harmony of their inner soul. However this humble refinement and perfection of their own self is being accoplished only by few people of every generation, for some the hubris that is innate to humans is a bar that separates them from their peers, while many others of the few who can grasp the meaning of their mortal life to at least some extent sink into the deep morass of melancholia. While the former ones prance through life dressed in silk and satin and and have their speech filled with pretension and contempt, the latter ones waste away their single life that hould be meaningful with joyless songs in blackly houses.Both of these groups are being termed
“failure” by the great philosophers, for they will never understand the nature of life and fill it with meaning. The biggest proportion of mankind, however, does not care much about intellect and awareness, they live their lives, enduring both joy and sorrow as their destiny assigns it to them, not unlike the animals of the forests and farms. But- and you should heed my advice at this point exactly, my prince, it would be as well a big mistake as an even greater sin to look down on these people because of their ways, for, as I told you before, the meaning of life is to fulfill the life given to each one of us by realizing your inner soul.And in fact, even though my words my astound you or make you wonder, many of those simple souls can attain a greater degree of wisdom than many thinkers in long years of study in solitude just by their unspoilt souls and hearts.For if a human being can be humble,content and achieve a sense of beauty, he or she has acquired more riches than can be hoped for in life on earth.
Those, however, who cannot deploy their hearts, make up thegood-for nothing army of cheapskates, burocrats and mechanics who, uncompehending of beauty, stroll around in greyish and brownish vestments and reach the end of their meaningless life without any awareness.
But, my prince, since I know thy strong and good heart, I do fear nothing for you out of that direction.But I do advise you wholeheartedly: Do avoid, my prince, all mansions out of which there is a stream of sad music and those people which touch you deep in your heart with their hopeless looks.For it is strange but true that especially those who have failed so short before the greatest insight can bring the most dolefulness over themselves and all others.
