To the extent that we're responsible, life is tragicomic and we are free. To the extent that we're not responsible, life is a melodrama or horror story and we are not free. If we want to be able to laugh at ourselves and forgive others, it seems to me that we should cultivate self-discipline and generosity, not excuses.(Image from media.photobucket.com.)
6 comments:
I know what inspired this...
Thomas Bernhard and some of the anti-Enlightenment group might disagree. Your thoughts, redbeard.
I'm not familiar with Bernhard. What did he say?
Here's a weird interview with him, and here are some stories from his book The Voice Imitator. All the stories are one paragraph long.
Thanks. I'll check that out when I have some free time two weeks from next Monday.
Good stuff. You're dead-on right. Ignore anti-Enlightenment thinkers, as they all reject any sort of personal responsibility. Blame it on everyone else -- that's the mantra of Rousseau and Marx. Of course, the best Enlightenment thinkers are the Scots.
Post a Comment