our cowardice, laziness, and self-deception, The Mechanics of Virtue, aphorism 244

244

We lose hope of virtue with our cowardice, laziness, and self-deception ... but then cowardice and laziness are the preconditions for self-deception.  Thus, only cowardice and laziness ... but then, laziness results in chaos ... in more work than a responsible industry which maintains order.  Laziness then pampers itself with a responsible industry. Thus, only cowardice.... 

But danger is not the same thing as fear.  Cowardice only imagines it flees from danger – while in truth it abandons itself to fear.  It veils reality with an overwhelming emotion.  The coward is thus easily confused.  

However, is it only fear that must take the blame for this confusion?  To receive the benefit for one's cowardice – safety – one needs the ability to distinguish between imaginary fears and actual dangers, and this requires in turn fearless honesty and no small amount of mental labor.


Thus, to secure the benefit of our vices, we muster up the courage for an honest inspection of the discipline of leisure.  But this is only a back door to virtue again.  And we thought that for virtue we must first sacrifice something, as if there were a value in our confusion, chaos, superfluous labor, and self-deception.

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