the foundations of personality-第54章

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　man　becomes　husband；　father；　worker　in　some　definite　field　of　industry；　ambition　becomes　narrowed　down　to　the　possibilities　or　is　entirely　discarded　as　hopeless。　The　character　becomes　a　collection　of　habits；　with　some　controlling　purpose　and　some　characteristic　relaxations。　This　at　least　is　true　of　the　majority　of　men。　Here　and　there　are　those　who　have　not　been　able　to　form　a　unification　even　along　such　simple　lines；　they　are　without　steady　habits；　derelicts　morally；　financially　and　socially；　or　if　with　means　independent　of　personal　effort　they　are　wastrels　and　idlers。　And　again　there　are　the　doers　and　thinkers　of　the　world；　the　fortunate；　whose　lives　are　associated　with　successful　purposes；　whose　ambitions　grow　and　grow　until　they　reach　the　power　of　which　they　dreamed。　There　are　the　reformers　living　in　a　fever　heat　of　purpose；　disdaining　rest　and　relaxation；　dangerously　near　fanaticism　and　not　far　from　mental　unbalance；　but　achieving　through　that　unbalance　things　the　balanced　never　have　the　will　to　attempt。　He　who　works　merely　to　get　rich　or　powerful　or　to　provide　food　for　his　family　cannot　understand　the　zealots　who　see　the　world　as　a　place　where　SOMETHING　MUST　happen；where　slavery　MUST　be　abolished；　women　MUST　have　votes；　children　MUST　go　to　school　until　sixteen；　prostitution　MUST　disappear；　alcohol　MUST　be　prohibited；　etc。　Such　people　miss　the　pretty；　pleasant　relaxing　joys　of　life；　but　they　gain　in　intensity　of　life　what　they　lose　in　diffuseness。　This　war　of　the　permanent　unified　purposes　versus　the　temporary　scattering　desiresthe　power　of　inhibition　is　involved　in　the　health　and　vigor　of　the　person。　Disease；　fatigue　and　often　enough　old　age　show　themselves　in　lowered　purpose；　in　the　failure　of　the　will　（in　the　sense　of　the　energy　of　purpose）；　in　a　scattering　of　activity。　Indeed；　in　the　senile　states　one　too　often　sees　the　disappearance　of　moral　control　where　one　least　expected　it。　And　one　of　the　greatest　tragedies　of　our　times　occurred　when　an　elderly　statesman；　on　the　brink　of　arterial　disease　of　the　brain；　lost　the　strength　and　firmness　of　purpose　that　hitherto　had　characterized　him。　One　of　the　worst　features　of　the　government　of　nations　is　the　predominance　of　old　men　in　the　governing　bodies。　For　not　only　are　they　apt　to　have　over…intellectualized　life；　not　only　have　they　become　specialists　in　purpose　and　therefore　narrow；　but　the　atrophy　of　the　passions　and　desires　of　youth　and　middle　life　has　rendered　them　unfit　to　legislate　for　the　bulk　of　the　race；　who　are　the　young　and　middle…aged。　It　is　no　true　democracy　where　old　age　governs　the　rest　of　the　periods　of　life。　Unification　of　purpose　often　goes　too　far。　Men　lose　sight　of　the　duties　they　owe　to　wife　and　family　in　their　pursuit　of　wealth　or　fame；　they　forget　that　relaxation　and　pleasure…seeking　are　normal　and　legitimate　aims。　They　deify　a　purpose；　they　attach　it　to　themselves　so　that　it　becomes　more　essentially　themselves　than　their　religion　or　their　family。　They　speak　of　their　work　as　if　every　letter　were　capitalized　and　lose　sympathy　and　interest　in　the　rest　of　the　wide　striving　world。　Men　grow　hard；　even　if　philanthropists；　in　too　excessive　a　devotion　to　a　purpose；　and　soon　it　is　their　master；　and　they　are　its　slaves。　Happy　is　he　who　can　follow　his　purpose　efficiently　and　earnestly；　but　who　can　find　interest　in　many　things；　pleasure　in　the　wide　range　of　joys　the　world　offers　and　a　youthful　curiosity　and　zest　in　the　new。　Every　human　being；　no　matter　how　civilized　and　unified；　how　modern　and　social　in　his　conduct；　has　within　him　a　core　of　uncivilized；　disintegrating；　ancient　and　egoistic　desires　and　purposes。　〃I　feel　two　natures　struggling　within　me〃　is　the　epitome　of　every　man's　life。　This　is　what　has　been　called　conflict　by　the　psychoanalysts；　and　my　own　disagreement　with　them　is　that　I　believe　it　to　be　distinctly　conscious　in　the　main。　A　man　knows　that　the　pretty　young　girls　he　meets　tempt　him　from　his　allegiance　to　his　wife　and　his　desires　to　be　good；　a　woman　knows　that　the　prosaic　husband　no　longer　pleases；　and　why　he　does　not　please；only　if　you　ask　either　of　them　bluntly　and　directly　they　will　deny　their　difficulties。　The　organic　activities　of　the　body；　basic　in　desire　of　all　kinds；　are　crude　and　give　rise　to　crude　forbidden　wishes；　but　the　struggle　that　goes　on　is　repressed；　rebelled　against　and　gives　rise　to　trains　of　secondary　symptoms；fatigue；　headache；　indigestion；　weariness　of　life　and　many　other　complaints。　It　is　perfectly　proper　to　complain　of　headache；　but　it　is　a　humiliation　to　say　that　you　have　chosen　wrongly　in　marriage；　or　that　you　are　essentially　polygamous；　or　that　an　eight…hour　day　of　work　at　clerking　or　bookkeeping　disgusts　and　bores　you。　People　complain　of　that　which　is　proper　and　allows　them　to　maintain　self…respect；　but　they　hide　that　which　may　lower　them　in　the　eyes　of　others。　Gain　their　confidence；　show　that　you　see　deeper　than　their　words　and　you　get　revelations　that　need　no　psychoanalytic　technique　to　elicit　and　which　are　distinctly　conscious。　This　brings　me　to　the　point　that　the　constant　inhibition；　blocking　and　balking　of　desires　and　wishes；　though　in　part　socially　necessary　and　ethically　justifiable；　is　decidedly　wearisome；　at　times　to　all；　and　to　many　at　all　times。　It　seems　so　easy　and　pleasant　to　relax　in　purposes；　in　morals；　in　thought；　to　be　a　vagrant　spirit　seeking　nothing　but　the　pleasures　right　at　hand；　to　be　like　a　traditional　bee　flitting　from　the　rose　to　rose　of　desire。　（Only　the　bee　is　a　decidedly　purposive　creature；　out　for　business　not　pleasure。）　〃Why　all　this　striving　and　self…control？〃　cries　the　unorganized　in　all　of　us。　〃Why　build　up　when　Death　tears　down？〃　cries　the　pessimist　in　our　hearts。　Great　epochs　in　history　are　marked　by　different　answers　to　these　questions；　and　in　our　own　civilization　there　has　grown　up　a　belief　that　bodily　pleasure　in　itself　is　wrong；　that　life　is　vanity　unless　yoked　to　service　and　effort。　The　Puritan　idea　that　we　best　serve　God　in　this　way　has　been　modified　by　a　more　skeptical　idea　that　we　serve　man　by　swinging　our　efforts　away　from　bodily　pleasure　and　toward　work；　organized　to　some　good　end；　but　essentially　the　idea　of　inhibition；　control；　as　the　highest　virtue；　remains。　Such　an　ideal　gains　force　for　a　time；　then　grows　too　wearisome；　too　extreme；　and　a　generation　grows　up　that　throws　it　off　and　seeks　pleasure　frankly；　paints；　powders；　dances；　sings；　develops　the　art　of　〃living；〃　indulges　the　sense；　becomes　loose　in　morals；　and　hyperesthetic　and　over…refined　in　tastes。　Then　the　ennui；　boredom　and　disgust　that　always　follow　sensual　pleasures　become　diffuse；　happiness　cannot　come　through　the　seeking　of　pleasure　and　excitement　and　anhedonia　of　the　exhausted　type　arises。　Preachers；　prophets；　seers　and　poets　vigorously　proclaim　the　futility　of　pleasure；　and　the　happiness　of　service；　inhibition　comes　into　its　own　again　and　a　Puritan　cycle　recommences。　Stoic；　epicurean；　Roman　republic；　Roman　empire；　Puritan　England；　Restoration；　Victorian　days；　early　twentieth　century；　for　to…day　we　are　surging　into　an　era　of　revolt　against　form；　custom；　tradition；　in　a　word　against　inhibition。　As　with　periods；　so　with　people；　self…indulgence；　i。　e。；　indulgence　of　the　passing　desires；　follows　the　idealism　of　adolescence。　Youth　sows　its　wild　oats。　Then　the　steadying　purposes　appear　partly　because　the　pleasure　of　indulgence　passes。　Marriage；　responsibility；　straining　effort　mark　the　passing　of　ten　or　a　dozen　years；　then　in　middle　life；　and　often　before；　things　get　flat　and　without　savor；　monotony　creeps　in　and　a　curiosity　as　to　the　possibilities　of　pleasure　formerly　experienced　is　awakened。　（I　believe　that　most　of　the　sexual　unfaithfulness　in　men　and　women　over　thirty　springs　not　from　passion　but　from　curiosity。）　There　occurs　a　dangerous　age　in　the　late　thirties　and　early　forties；　one　in　which　self…indulgence　makes　itself　clamorous。　The　monotony　of　labor；　the　fatigue　of　inhibition　make　themselves　felt；　and　at　this　time　men　（and　women）　need　to　add　relaxation　and　pleasure　of　a　legitimate　kind。　Golf；　the　fishing　trip；　games　of　all　kinds；　legitimate　excitement　which　need　not　be　inhibited　is　necessary。　This　need　of　excitement　without　inhibition　is　behind　most　of　the　gambling　and　card　playing；　it　explains　the　extraordinary　attrac