第 29 节
作者:
暖暖 更新:2021-02-24 23:00 字数:9322
feeling in which there is little or no self…feeling。 We do not extend the ego to the piteous object。 We desire to help; even though the object of pity is an enemy or disgusting。 One of the commonest struggles of life is that between self…interest and pity;and the selfish resent any situation that arouses their pity; because they dislike to give。 Pity tends to disappear from the life of the soldier and is; indeed; a trait he does not need; in the lives of the strong and successful; pity is apt to be a hindering quality。 In a world in which competition is keen; the cooperative gentle qualities hinder success。 The weak seek the pity of others; they need it; and the pity…seeker is a very distinct type。 The strong and proud hate to be pitied; and when wounded they hide; shun their friends and keep the semblance of strength with a brave face。 Pity directed toward oneself as the object is self…pity;a quality found in children and in a certain amiable; weak; egoistic type; whose eyes are always full of tears as they talk of themselves。 Of course; at times; we are all prone to this vice of character; but there are some chronically afflicted。 Certain so…called sentimentalists are those who die; tribute their pity in an erratic fashion。 These are the vegetarians who are sad because it is wrong to kill for food; yet they wear without compunction the leather of cattle who have neither committed suicide nor died of old age。 And the anti…vivisectionists view without any stir of pity the children of the slums and the sick of all kinds。 Pity raises man to the divine but; like all the gentle qualities; it needs guidance by reason and common sense before it is of any value。 Just as there are objects and individuals recognized or believed to be as somehow favorable and who evoke tender feeling; so there are objects and individuals regarded as unfavorable; perhaps dangerous; who arouse aversion and hatred。 The feeling thus produced is the other great sentiment of life; which on the whole organizes character and conduct on a great plane。 Hatred; a decidedly primitive reaction; still is powerful in the world and is back of dissension of all kinds; from lawsuits to war。 When one hates he is attached to the hated object in a fashion just the reverse of the attachment of love; joy; anger; fear and sorrow arise under exactly the opposite circumstances; and the aim and end of hate is to block; thwart and destroy the hated one。 The earlier history of man lays emphasis on the activities of hate;war; feats of arms; individual feuds。 Hate; unlike love; needs no moral code or teaching to bring it into activity; it springs into being and constantly needs repression。 Unlikeness alone often brings it to life; to be too different from others is recognized as a legitimate reason for hatred。 The most important cause is conflict of interest and wounding of self…feeling and pride。 Revengeful feeling; fostered by tradition and 〃patriotism;〃 caused many wars and in its lesser spheres of operation is back of murders; assaults; insults and the lesser categories of injuries of all kinds。 The prime emotion of hatred is anger; in its less intense aspect of aversion it is disgust。 The aim and end of anger is destruction of the offending object; the aim and end of aversion is removal; ejection。 Hate may be and often is a noble sentiment; though the trend of modern thought; as it minimizes personal responsibility; is to eliminate hate against persons and intellectualize hate so that it is reserved for the battle against ideas。 Whether you can really summon all your effort against any one; against his plans; opinions and actions; unless you have built up the steady sentiment of hatred for him; is a nice psychological question。 Hate is most intense in little people; in persons absolutely convinced that their interests; opinions and plans are sacred; sure of their superiority and righteousness。 Once let insight into yourself; your weakness and your real motives creep into your mind and your hate against opponents and obstructors must lessen。 Those who realize most the fallibility of men and women; to whom Pilate's question 〃What is truth?〃 has added to it a more sceptical question; 〃What is right;〃 find it hard to hate。 Therefore; such persons; the broad…minded and the most deeply wise; are not the best fighters for a cause; since their efforts are lessened by sympathy for the opponent。 Here is the marvel of Abraham Lincoln; rich with insight; he could hate slavery and secession and yet not hate the southern people。 In that division of himself lies his greatness and his suffering。 The disappearance of personal hate from the world can only come when men realize the essential unity of mankind。 For part of the psychological origin of hate lies in unlikeness。 Great unlikeness in color and facial line seems to act as a challenge to the feeling of superiority。 Wherever a 〃different〃 group challenges another's superiority; or enters into active competition for the goods of life; there hate enters in its most virulent form。 The disappearance of the 〃unlike〃 feeling is very slow and is hindered by the existence of small 〃particular〃 groups。 Little nationalities;'1' small sects; even exclusive clubs and circles are means of generating difference and thus hate。 '1' The more nationalities; each with its claim to a great destiny; the more wars! There is the essential danger and folly of tribal patriotism。
We shall not enter into the origin of hate through the danger to purpose; through rivalry among those not separated by unlikeness。 Hate seems to be a chronic anger; or at least that emotion kept at a more or less constant level by perception of danger and the threat at personal dignity and worth。 Obstructed love or passion and the feeling of 〃wrong;〃 i。 e。; injury done that was not merited; that the personal conscience does not justify; furnish the most virulent types of hatred。 〃Love thine enemies〃 is still an impossible injunction for most men。 We cannot hope to trace the feeling of revenge in its effects on human conduct。 Though at present religion and law both prohibit revengeful acts; the desire 〃to get even〃 flames high in almost every human breast under all kinds of injury or insult。 This form of hate may express itself crudely in the vendetta of the Sicilian; the feud of the Tennessee mountaineer; or the assault and battery of an aggrieved husband; it is behind the present…day conflict in Ireland; and it threatened Europe for forty years after the Franco…Prussian War; and no man knows how profoundly it will influence future world affairs because of the Great War。 Often it disguises itself as justice; the principle of the thing; in those who will not admit revenge as a motive; and the eclipsed and beaten take revenge in slander; innuendo and double…edged praise。 To some revenge is a devil to be fought out of their hearts; to others it is a god that guides every act。 We may define nobility of character as the withdrawal from revenge as a motive and the substitution for it of justice。 Some hatred expresses itself openly and fearlessly and as such gains some respect; even from its own object。 Other hatred plots and schemes; the intelligence lends itself to the plans completely and the whole personality suffers in consequence。 Some hatred; weak and without self…confidence; or seeking the effect of surprise; is hypocritical; dissimulates; affects friendly feeling; rubs its hands over insults and awaits the opportune moment。 This type is associated in all minds with a feeling of disgust; for at bottom we rather admire the 〃good〃 hater。 We have spoken of these three specialized and directed outgrowths of excitement; interest; love and hatred as if they were primarily directed to the outside world; though in a previous chapter we discussed the introspective interest。 What shall we call the love and hatred a man has for himself? Is the self…regarding sentiment any different than the sentiment of love for others? Is that hate and disgust we feel for ourselves; or for some action or thought; different from the hate and disgust we have for others? Judged by Shand's dicta that anger and fear are aroused if the object of love is threatened; joy is aroused as it prospers; and sorrow if it is deeply injured or lost; self…love remarkably resembles other…love。 The pride we take in our own achievements is unalloyed by jealousy; and there is always a trace of jealousy in the pride we take in the achievements of others; but there is no difference in the pride itself。 There is no essential difference in the 〃good〃 we seek for ourselves and in the good we seek for others; for what we seek will depend on our idea of 〃good。〃 Thus the ambitious mother seeks for her daughter a rich husband and the idealist seeks for his son a career of devotion to the ideal。 And the sensualist devoted to the good of his belly and his pocket loves his child and shows it by feeding and enriching him。 There seems to be lacking; however; the glow of tender feeling in self…love。 The projection of the self…interest to others has a passion; a melting in it that self…love never seems to possess; though it may be constant and ever…operating。 Self…regard; self…admiration or conceit may be very high and deeply felt; but though more common than rea