The difference between the mortified, but still proud and self-centered stoic and the unmortified hedonist consists in this: the latter, being flabby, shiftless and at heart rather ashamed of himself, lacks the energy and the motive to do much harm except to his own body, mind and spirit; the former, because he has all the secondary virtues and looks down on those who are not like himself, is morally equipped to wish and to be able to do harm on the very largest scale and with a perfectly untroubled conscience. These are obvious facts; and yet, in the current religious jargon of our day the word “immoral” is reserved almost exclusively for the carnally self-indulgent. The covetous and the ambitious, the respectable toughs and those who cloak their lust for power and place under the right sort of idealistic cant, are not merely unblamed; they are even held up as models of virtue and godliness. The representatives of the organized churches begin by putting haloes on the heads of the people who do most to make wars and revolutions, then go on, rather plaintively, to wonder why the world should be in such a mess.
— Aldous Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy
Random Posts
- Where Have All The Flowers Gone?I just watched a special on PBS that featured a lot of old folk singers from the late 50’s and 60’s, and I was struck …
- The shadow of greatnessI was born, have grown old, and someday I will die In the shadow of greatness named by other men. In that murky darkness I’ve …
- Like Miles Says, “So What”NarcissusWorks: The Ghost Anthology: No, it’s not a real poetry collection. No, I didn’t write the one line poem attributed to me. No, I didn’t …
- Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
Most Shared Posts
Recent Comments
- Irene on Some ancient affirmations
- Rekha on No More Sad Weepings of Regret
- Novena on Wake Up: sonetto rispetto
- John on On the Veranda: serenade
 Thought){kind=link}