ArquivoPessoahttparquivopessoanettextos4441himselftohimselfandhecanagreetosubmittodeliverhimselftothoseforcesIntherstcaseheisanasceteinthesecondheisamysticThecommonopinionwhichisofcour ID: 519211
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ArquivoPessoahttp://arquivopessoa.net/textos/4441FernandoPessoaThedistinguishingcharacteristicofourage,Thedistinguishingcharacteristicofourage,ifitbeputwithsuchconcisenessasmayriskbeingmisunderstood,yetshallescapebeingobscure,isthedeclineoftheascete.Bymanyirreligiouspeople,whodonotknowwhatanasceteessentiallyis,andbysomereligiouspeople,whohappenindeedtoknowit,thedenitionthusposited,willbeamatterforsomethinglikeamusement.Butitisverylittleamusing,exceptitbeuntrue.Anditisnotuntrue.Thepointisthatitbeunderstood.Whetherwebereligiousornot,wearereligious.Whetherwehaveornotanopinionoftheuniverse,wecertainlyhaveone.Foritliesinthenatureofthoughtthatanopiniononthesubstanceofthings(thatistosay,areligiousopinion)isnotsusceptibleofabsolutenegativenessAnopiniononthesubstanceandgeneralityofthingsisnotsusceptibleofabsolutenegativeness.Imayhavenoopinionatallofmathematics,andthatwillbeindeedanindifferenceofminetomathematics.Imayhavenoopinionofmyveryself;thatisanalmostincrediblemodesty,but,ifattainable,iscertainlysimplyanindifferencetomyself.ButIcannotholdnoopinionofthesubstanceandgeneralityofthingsandbebyvirtueofthatabsenceofopiniontakentobeindifferenttotheuniverse.For,astheuniverseiseverything,asthesubstanceandgeneralityofthings,excludesnothing,Icannotholdanopinionexcludingthat.Now,asallfundamentalopinionsarereligious,itisnotsurprisingthatwehavetotakefromreligionthenamesortermswithwhichwemaybestdescribeanygeneralattitudeoroperationofthereligiousmind.So,thereisnothingwronginapplyingthedenition,thatthepresentageisbestdescribedasthedeclineoftheascete,tothesumofmatterssociallyoccurringatpresent.Itremainstoseewhetherthedenitionbetrue.Inanyreligiousattitude,inanyattitudebeforetheuniverse,twoelementsstand:theuniverseandtheindividualmanwhoholdssuchorsuchanopinion.Nowbeforethatuniverse,thatmancanhaveoneoftwoattitudes,andnothird:hecanstrivetosubordinatetheuniversalforces,insofarashefeelsthemin1/3ObraAberta·2015-06-0802:12 ArquivoPessoahttp://arquivopessoa.net/textos/4441himself,tohimself;andhecanagreetosubmit,todeliverhimselftothoseforces.Intherstcase,heisanascete;inthesecond,heisamystic.Thecommonopinion,whichisofcourse,wrongisthattheChristianreligionwaseminentlyascetic.Mr.Chestertonhasdeniedthis,andheisquiteright.HehasdenieditbecauseheisaChristianandthinksitrightthatasceticsshouldnotbe.lamgladtodenyitbecauseIamanti-ChristianandbecauseIthinkasceticismshouldbe.Therealasceticreligionwaspaganism,whereonlythesybilsandthelowerreligionists—theriotersoftheDyonisiacpassage,the(...)Tennysonputallpaganismintooneverse:«self-knowledge,self-reverence,self-control»,theversewhichcontainesalltheintellectualkalendarofasceticism.Allhumanitarianism,whichgivesuptheindividualtothecomunity,(...)ismysticism,andforwomen.Asceticismisformen.Womenhaveonlyself-controlbyforceofsocialpressure;individuallytheyfollowtheirsexualnaturewhichistobelongto,tobethepossessionofsomeone,andnottopossess.Nottilltheyhavechildrencanwomensanelyfeelthattheypossess;thereforeisitthatamother'slovehasanobscuresexualelement,acarnalarrièregoût,whichisduetoitsbeingakindofmentalsexualinversion.Thatbothasceticismandmysticismareillusionsmightbeafrmedwithcertainty,iftheystoodforphilosophictheories,andnot,astheydo,formodesofaction.Beingmodesofaction,theyarenotsusceptibleofbeingillusions.Theyaremerelythemaleandthefemaleattitudetowardstheworld.Whenthemaleattitudepredominates,theworldmovesforward,whenthefemaleattitudebecomescommon,theworldrecedes.Thisprinciple—thebasisofwhichliesattheroot,intheheart,or,tospeaksymbolicallyintheveryrose,ofoccultism—cannotbeexplainedsoastobeexactlyunderstoodinitstruefundaments.Theoldoccultists,who,contrarytothemodernmimicsofthem,hadofwomanverypeculiaropinion.(...)Thedeliveryofintellecttosensation,themusicalattitudeofthemind,thesensethantwearepartofsomething,thedevotionofthesoulsocialservice(...)Thesearemysticisms.Itwillbesaidthat,nolessthanthemystic,doestheascetedeliverhimselftosomethingotherthanhe;that,ifhepractisesself-control,itisnotforthepleasureofit(atbest,abitterone)butforsomepurposeoutsidehisindividuality.That,however,isnotthepoint;theascetemaydeliverhisreason,hedeliversnothingelse.Themysticdelivershisreason,notdirectly,butindirectly,nottoGod,buttohissensations,forinstance,anditisthesethatareinturngivenovertoGod.2/3 ArquivoPessoahttp://arquivopessoa.net/textos/4441s.d.TextosFilosócos.Vol.II.FernandoPessoa.(EstabelecidoseprefaciadosporAntóniodePinaCoelho.)Lisboa:Ática,1968:104.3/3