The Christian religion is only for the man who needs infinite help, solely, that is, for the man who experiences infinite torment.
The whole planet can suffer no greater torment than a single soul.
The Christian faith -- as I see it -- is a man's refuge in this ultimate torment. Anyone in such torment who has the gift of opening his heart, rather than contracting it, accepts the means of salvation in his heart.
Someone who in this way penitently opens his heart to God in confession lays it open for other men too. In doing this he loses the dignity that goes with his personal prestige and becomes like a child. That means without official position, dignity or disparity from others. A man can bare himself before others only out of a particular kind of love. A love which acknoweldges, as it were, that we are all wicked children.
We could also say: Hate between men comes from our cutting ourselves off from each other. Because we don't want anyone else to look inside us, since it's not a pretty sight in there.
Of course, you must continue to feel ashamed of what's inside you, but not ashamed of yourself before your fellow-men.
No greater torment can be experienced than One human being can experience. For if a man feels lost, that is the ultimate torment.
(Ludwig Wittgenstein in Culture and Value)
No comments:
Post a Comment