"Strive to love your neighbor actively and indefatigably. In as far as you advance in love you will grow surer of the reality of God and of the immortality of your soul.... yet I am incapable of living in the same room with any one for two days together, as I know by experience. As soon as any one is near me, his personality disturbs my self‐complacency and restricts my freedom. In twenty‐four hours I begin to hate the best of men"
Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
The character's "self-complacency" is, in my opinion, not worth defending. It and the character's reference to "freedom" suggest an infantile personality that in a better world ought to attract no one to disturb him. For what it is worth, I have never ever come across "self complacency" presented as valuable and worth protecting. This character is truly committed to self-indictment.
ReplyDeleteHowever, from my perspective, he lost his way at the very get go, with the proposed aim of "the reality of God and of the immortality of your soul". I am tempted to say "God help him" and anyone he deals with.