Volume Ii Part 6 (1/2)

OPEN CONTRADICTION OFTEN CONCILIATORY.-At the moment when a man openly makes known his difference of opinion from a well-known party leader, the whole world thinks that he must be angry with the latter. Sometimes, however, he is just on the point of ceasing to be angry with him. He ventures to put himself on the same plane as his opponent, and is free from the tortures of suppressed envy.

61.

SEEING OUR LIGHT s.h.i.+NING.-In the darkest hour of depression, sickness, and guilt, we are still glad to see others taking a light from us and making use of us as of the disk of the moon. By this roundabout route we derive some light from our own illuminating faculty.

62.

FELLOWs.h.i.+P IN JOY.(5)-The snake that stings us means to hurt us and rejoices in so doing: the lowest animal can picture to itself the _pain_ of others. But to picture to oneself the _joy_ of others and to rejoice thereat is the highest privilege of the highest animals, and again, amongst them, is the property only of the most select specimens-accordingly a rare ”human thing.” Hence there have been philosophers who denied fellows.h.i.+p in joy.

63.

_Supplementary Pregnancy._-Those who have arrived at works and deeds are in an obscure way, they know not how, all the more pregnant with them, as if to prove supplementarily that these are their children and not those of chance.

64.

HARD-HEARTED FROM VANITY.-Just as justice is so often a cloak for weakness, so men who are fairly intelligent, but weak, sometimes attempt dissimulation from ambitious motives and purposely show themselves unjust and hard, in order to leave behind them the impression of strength.

65.

HUMILIATION.-If in a large sack of profit we find a single grain of humiliation we still make a wry face even at our good luck.

66.

EXTREME HEROSTRATISM.(6)-There might be Herostratuses who set fire to their own temple, in which their images are honoured.