This summer, I came across the following in Michel de Montaigne’s Essays: “Each trait in man, every activity characterizes and reveals him as much as another.” One of Montaigne’s main themes, and also important criterion for living a valuable life, is facing the world in authenticity. This authenticity manifests itself through your actions – the broad sense of the word: apart from your actions it also includes your ideas, opinions and value statements. How this is done? We read on: “Things may have their own distinct measurements, weight and characteristics, but our mind shapes them as it understands them.” This relates to the glasses through which we perceive the world, and the color of the glasses tells us a lot about ourselves.
“Health, conscience, authority, knowledge, richness, beauty and their counterparts lay off their covers upon entering, and are then dressed by the mind in the colors that appeal to it: brown, green, light, dark, hard, soft, deep, flat, as it suits each mind separately, because they did not discuss or agree any rules or models between them for one single style: every mind is king in its own realm.”
Whether we are happy or unhappy, only depends on ourselves.” (Book I, Essay 50)
Wish to react? Click 'Comments' below and follow the steps. Please note that comments become only visible after moderation (spam protection).
