the foundations of personality-第70章

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etites　are　hearty　subordinate　them　to　the　main　business　of　their　lives；　achievement　in　some　form。　There　is　a　whole　range　of　taste　in　pleasures　of　this　kind　that　I　do　not　even　attempt　to　analyze　at　this　point；　even　if　it　were　possible　for　me　to　analyze　it。　Pleasure　in　dress；　in　ceremonials；　in　all　the　ornamentation　of　life；　forms　part　of　the　artistic　impulses。　The　love　of　music　is　too　lofty　to　be　classed　with　the　other　pleasures。　This　is　true　of　only　a　few　people。　For　most　of　us　music　is　an　entertainment　and　is　usually　poorly　endured　if　it　constitutes　the　total　entertainment。　As　part　of　the　theater；　of　the　movie；　of　dancing；　it　is　〃appreciated〃　by　everybody。　To　most　it　stirs　the　emotions　so　deeply　that　its　pleasure　vanishes　in　fatigue　if　too　long　endured。　The　capacity　to　enjoy　music；　especially　the　capacity　to　express　it；　is　one　of　the　great　variables　of　life。　It　is　true　that　the　poseurs　in　music　and　the　arts　generally　seek　superiority　by　pretending　to　a　knowledge；　interest　and　pleasure　they　do　not　really　have；　just　as　there　are　some　who　really　try　to　enjoy　what　they　feel　they　should　enjoy。　Nowhere　is　there　quite　so　much　pretense　and　humbug　as　in　the　field　of　the　artistic　tastes。　Nowhere　is　the　arbitrariness　of　taste　so　evident；　and　nowhere　is　the　〃expert〃　so　likely　to　be　a　pretender。　I　say　this　in　full　recognition　of　the　fact　that　science　and　religion　have　their　modes　and　pretenses　as　well　as　art。　The　〃progress〃　of　man　is　marked　as　much　as　anything　by　a　change　in　〃taste；〃　change　in　what　is　considered　mannerly；　beautiful　and　pleasant。　This　progress　is　called　refinement；　although　this　term　is　also　used　in　relation　to　ethics。　Refinement　in　cooking　leads　to　the　art　of　the　chef。　Refinement　in　dress　becomes　developed　into　an　intricate；　ever…changing　relation　of　clothes　and　age；　sex；　time　of　day；　situation；　etc。；　so　that　it　is　unrefined　to　wear　clothes　of　certain　texture　and　hues　and　refined　to　wear　others。　Refinement　in　manner　regulates　the　tone　of　voice；　the　violence　of　gesticulation；　the　exhibition　of　emotions　and　the　type　of　subjects　discussed；　as　well　as　controlling　a　dozen　and　one　other　matters；　from　the　way　one　enters　a　room　to　the　way　one　leaves　it。　The　savage　is　unrefined；　say　we；　though　he　has　his　own　standards　of　refinement。　An　American　is　a　boor　if　he　tucks　his　napkin　in　at　the　neck　and　uses　bread　to　sop　up　the　gravy　on　his　plate；　whereas　Italians　find　it　perfectly　proper　to　do　these　things　and　find　the　bustle　of　the　American　life　totally　unrefined。　That　refinement　and　developed　taste　are　matters　of　convention　and　entirely　relative　is　not　a　new　thesis；　it　is　an　old　accepted　truth。　What　I　wish　to　point　out　is　this；　that　every　development　in　refinement　adds　some　new　pleasure　to　the　world　but　subtracts　some　old　ones。　He　who　develops　his　musical　tastes　from　ragtime　to　the　classics　finds　joys　he　knew　not　of；　but　is　offended　and　disgusted　whenever　he　visits　friends；　attends　a　movie　or　a　theater。　When　people　ate　with　their　fingers　there　was　little　to　be　disgusted　at　in　eating；　when　people　need　spotless　linen　and　eight　or　ten　forks；　knives；　and　spoons　for　a　meal；　a　single　disarrangement；　a　spot　on　the　linen；　is　intolerable。　The　higher　one　builds　one's　needs　and　tastes；　the　more　opportunities　for　disgust；　disappointment　and　discontent。　Most　of　the　people　of　the　world　have　never　understood　this。　To　the　majority；　acquisition；　the　multiplication　of　needs；　desires　and　tastes　constitute　progress　and　seem　to　be　the　roads　to　happiness。　Get　rich；　have　horses；　autos；　beautiful　things　in　the　house；　servants；　go　where　you　please　and　when　you　please；this　is　happiness。　The　rich　man　knows　it　is　not；　and　so　does　the　wise　man。　Desires　grow　with　each　acquisition；　the　capacity　for　satisfaction　diminishes　with　every　gratification；　novelty　disappears　and　with　the　growth　of　taste　little　disharmonies　offend　deeply。　Some　men　have　reacted　in　this　way　against　gratification　and　satisfaction；　against　the　building　up　of　needs　and　tastes；　and　in　every　age　we　hear　of　the　〃simple　life；〃　the　happy；　contented　life；　where　needs　are　few　and　things　are　〃natural。〃　The　ascetic　ideal　of　renunciation　is　the　dominant　note　in　Buddhism　and　Christianity；　fly　from　the　pleasures　of　this　world；　give　up　and　renounce；　for　all　is　vanity　and　folly。　To　every　struggler　this　seems　true　when　the　battle　is　hardest；　when　achievement　seems　futile　and　empty；　and　when　he　whispers　to　himself；　〃What　is　it　all　about；　anyway？〃　To　stop　struggling；　to　desire　only　the　plainest　food；　the　plainest　clothes；　to　live　without　the　needless　multiplication　of　refinements；　to　work　at　something　essential　for　daily　bread；　to　stop　competing　with　one's　neighbor　in　clothes；　houses；　ornaments；　tastes；it　seems　so　pleasant　and　restful。　But　the　competition　gets　keener；　the　struggle　harder；　tastes　multiply；　yesterday's　luxury　is　to…day's　needto　what　end？　Will　mankind　ever　accept　a　modified　asceticism　as　its　goal？　I　think　it　will　be　forced　to；　but　it　may　be　that　the　wish　is　father　to　the　thought。　Sometimes　it　seems　as　if　the　real　crucifixion　for　every　one　of　us　is　in　our　contending　desires　and　tastes；　in　the　artificial　competing　standards　that　are　mislabeled　refinement。　To　be　finicky　is　to　court　anhedonia；　and　the　joy　of　life　is　in　robust　tastes　not　easily　offended　and　easily　gratified。　Perhaps　this　is　irrelevant　in　a　chapter　on　play　and　recreation；　but　it　is　easily　seen　that　much　of　play　is　a　revolt　against　refinement　and　taste；　just　as　much　as　humor　is　directed　against　them。　In　play　we　allow　ourselves　to　shout；　laugh　aloud　and　to　be　unrefined；　we　welcome　dirt　and　disorder；　we　forget　clothes　and　manners；　we　are　〃natural；〃　i。　e。；　unrefined。　The　higher　we　build　our　tastes　the　more　we　need　play。　If　such　a　thing　as　a　〃state　of　nature〃　could　be　reached；　play　and　recreation　in　the　adult　sense　would　hardly　more　than　exist。

CHAPTER　XVI。　RELIGIOUS　CHARACTERS。　DISHARMONY　IN　CHARACTER　I　find　in　William　James'　〃Varieties　of　Religious　Experience〃；　the　following　definition　of　religion：　〃Religion；　therefore；　as　I　shall　ask　you　arbitrarily　to　take　it；　shall　mean　for　us　the　feelings；　acts　and　experiences　of　individuals　in　their　solitude　so　far　as　they　comprehend　themselves　to　stand　in　relation　to　whatever　they　may　consider　the　divine。〃　It　seems　to　me　the　common　man　would　as　soon　understand　Einstein　as　this　definition。　In　fact；　the　religious　trends　of　the　men　and　women　in　this　world　have　many　sources　and　are　no　more　unified　than　their　humor　is。　Whether　all　peoples；　no　matter　how　low　in　culture；　have　had　religion　cannot　be　settled　by　a　study　of　the　present　inhabitants　of　the　world；　for　every　one　of　these；　though　savage；　has　tradition　and　some　culture。　Theoretically；　for　the　one　who　accepts　some　form　of　evolution　as　true；　at　some　time　in　man's　history　he　has　first　asked　himself　some　of　the　questions　answered　by　religion。　For　my　part；　as　I　read　the　anthropologists　（whose　answers　to　the　question　of　the　origin　of　religion　I　regard　as　the　only　valid　ones；　since　they　are　the　only　ones　without　prejudice　and　with　some　regard　for　scientific　method）；　it　is　the　practical　needs　of　man；　his　curiosity　and　his　tendency　to　explain　by　human　force；　which　are　the　first　sources　of　the　religions。　How　to　get　good　crops；　how　to　catch　fish　and　game；　how　to　win　over　enemies；　how　and　whom　to　marry；　what　to　do　to　be　strong　and　successful　as　individual　and　group；　found　various　answers　in　the　taboo；　the　prayer；　the　ceremony　and　the　priest；　magician　and　scientist。　Curiosity　as　to　what　was　behind　each　phenomenon　of　nature　and　the　tendency　of　man　to　personalize　all　force；　as　well　as　the　awe　and　admiration　aroused　by　the　strong；　wise　and　crafty　contemporary　and　ancestor　brought　into　the　world　the　〃old　man…cult；〃　ancestor…　worship；　gods　and　goddesses　of　ranging　degrees　and　power；　but　very　much　like　men　and　women　except　for　power　and　longevity。　Certain　natural　phenomenadeath；　sleep；　trance；　epileptic　attackall　played　their　part；　bringing　about　ideas　of　the　soul；　immortality；　possession；　etc。　With　culture　and　the　growth　of　inhibition　and　knowledge　and　the　use　of　art　and　symbols；　the　primitive　beliefs　modified　their　nature；　the　gods　became　one　God；　who　was　gradually　stripped　of　his　human　desires；　wishes；　partialities　and　attributes　until　for　the　majority　of　the　cultivated　he