120 philosophical essays you must read in your life

Chapter 54

Chapter 3, Section 11 Simple

[France] Francois?Fenelon
Simplicity is an upright and unselfish quality of the soul.Compared with sincerity, simplicity appears nobler and purer.Many are sincere and sincere, but not innocent.They are afraid of being misunderstood, lest their image be damaged.They always pay attention to themselves, reflect on themselves, choose their words carefully, and be cautious.When dealing with people, they are always worried about going too far and not enough.These people are sincere, but not simple.They have difficulty getting along with others calmly, and others are cautious and reserved towards them.Their weakness is that they are not frank, casual, and unnatural.And we prefer to associate with those who are not very honest and perfect, but who have no pretentiousness.This has almost become a criterion for the world, and God seems to use this as a standard to judge people.God doesn't want us to look at ourselves with too much thought, like plastic surgery in the mirror.

But it is also a state of blindness to pay attention to others without self-examination.A person in this state is preoccupied only with what is in front of him and his personal senses, which is the very opposite of innocence.Here are two examples of just the opposite: one is a person who devotes himself wholeheartedly, whether he serves his own kind or God; You will be distracted and upset.So this false cleverness, which at first glance looks grand, is actually as foolish as mere pleasure-seeking behavior.The former is short-sighted and only intoxicated by the things in front of him; the latter values ​​himself too much and is intoxicated with inner possession.Both are full of vanity.Inner contemplation is more harmful than preoccupation with immediate things, because it is foolish to appear clever, and it is often tempting to lead astray, self-righteous, it makes us subject to our natural emotions, Let us fall into a kind of blind frenzy, where we think we are in good health, when we are in fact terminally ill.

Simplicity requires moderation, in which we are neither overly agitated nor overly serene.Our souls will not have time to do necessary inner self-examination because of paying too much attention to external things, nor will we always pay attention to ourselves, which will expand the guarded heart that is dedicated to maintaining our personal image.If our souls can break free and look straight ahead on the stretching road, and not waste precious time studying the steps under our feet, or looking back at the years that have passed, then we have true simplicity.

【Together with you】

Innocence is not naive, it is a sincere childlike feeling that has been maintained after going through the vicissitudes of life; innocence is not an attitude, it is a natural expression of integrity and selflessness in the heart; innocence is not hypocrisy and pretense, it is a kind of spiritual temperament and innocence Emotion; simplicity is not superficial, it is just a kind of enlightenment after all the prosperity; simplicity is not incompatibility, but a mind that lives in harmony with all things and common people; simplicity is not blindly not paying attention to external methods, but an art The measure and rules of life.With credit, we can treat each other with sincerity; with credit, we can communicate and cooperate with each other.

(End of this chapter)