Lipton’s Journal/January 24, 1955/236: Difference between revisions

m
ce.
(Created page.)
 
m (ce.)
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{LJtop}}
{{LJtop}}
The saint and the psychopath are homeostatic rather than sociostatic. But there is one way—so long as there is history (one day we shall have ''hissoul'' than history)—there is one way the psychopath is superior to the saint. The psychopath is the giver rather than the taker—he may appear to take, to ravish, to steal, to cheat, but actually he is giving—he beats, he thumps, he prods, he wounds, he leaves his knife in the victim, he leaves his terrifying presence in the empty bank vault, he leaves his malice in the breast of the ''sucker'' (What a word. The sucker is always a taker.)
The saint and the psychopath are homeostatic rather than sociostatic. But there is one way—so long as there is history (one day we shall have ''hissoul'' than history)—there is one way the psychopath is superior to the saint. The psychopath is the giver rather than the taker—he may appear to take, to ravish, to steal, to cheat, but actually he is giving—he beats, he thumps, he prods, he wounds, he leaves ''his'' knife in the victim, he leaves his terrifying presence in the empty bank vault, he leaves his malice in the breast of the ''sucker'' (What a word. The sucker is always a taker).


The saint, on the other hand, who seems to give (when he is so inclined) goodness and charity and works and hope, is actually taking in the psychic sense. He arouses goodness in people, he drains them of wrath, he takes from everyone around him, thereby enabling people to feel alive which is the same as feeling one is good. Hemingway saw it. He always says I felt good for I felt alive (Word echoes: Good and O God; Woe is me and Woman). But, fundamentally, the saint is taking from people, taking so that he may reach God.  
The saint, on the other hand, who seems to give (when he is so inclined) goodness and charity and works and hope, is actually taking in the psychic sense. He arouses goodness in people, he drains them of wrath, he takes from everyone around him, thereby enabling people to feel alive which is the same as feeling one is good. Hemingway saw it. He always says I felt good for I felt alive (Word echoes: Good and O God; Woe is me and Woman). But, fundamentally, the saint is taking from people, taking so that he may reach God.