Sure, it’s one of those terrible things the “mass man” avoids like leprosy (a BOOK! EVIL–Requires… THINKING *gag*), but those who don’t read it will be doomed to suffer the consequences of not knowing why they’re being inundated by the evil of avoidable stupidity.
Ortega y Gasset’s “Revolt of the Masses“.
No excuses. If you were completely illiterate, you’d not be reading this exhortation to read the thing. *heh* It won’t even cost you a dime to read, since the whole thing’s posted online in a very accessible translation. (Heck, even though it is Ortega y Gasset, I’m not willing to brush off my now–thankfully!–rusty Spanish skills to read it, since I’m boycotting the language as a result of the massive Spanish-speaking, Mexican government sponsored, alien invasion of this country.)
All it will cost you is time and effort. Amittedly, Ortega y Gasset can be a dense read at times. Dense in terms of concepts that must be actually thought about to be understood and/or argued with.
And if you do read the book, you will argue with Ortega y Gasset at times. If you are careful in your argument, you will usually only lose gracefully. *heh*
Just read Revolt of the Masses“. Do it for your grandchildren.
Ortega y Gasset’s thoughts may be disturbing to the faux hyper-egalitarian (really illegitimate manipulative elitist dishonestly masquerading as egalitarian), leftist mentality that now permeates our society, but only–really–because it reveals its vacuity:
“…the man we are now analysing accustoms himself not to appeal from his own to any authority outside him. He is satisfied with himself exactly as he is. Ingenuously, without any need of being vain, as the most natural thing in the world, he will tend to consider and affirm as good everything he finds within himself: opinions, appetites, preferences, tastes. Why not, if, as we have seen, nothing and nobody force him to realise that he is a second-class man, subject to many limitations, incapable of creating or conserving that very organisation which gives his life the fullness and contentedness on which he bases this assertion of his personality? “
Reading Ortega y Gasset again reminds me of James Burnham’s view of modern faux liberalism (as opposed to truly liberal precepts)
“Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western Civilization as it commits suicide.”
The two are not in ful agreement, but each sees and describes significant aspects of our sick, sick society.
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Okay, let me give a little run down on my own interpretation of what you’ve posted.
1. We have a man who is content with his life.
2. He is considered 2nd class, but by who and why?
3. What if his contentment comes from his belief in God? It does not say. However if he finds everything about himself to be good (could it be he feels blessed?), then he is disregarding that every heart is evil and deceitful.
I would have to have more information, actually, to analyze this. Damn. Now I have to read the book. Thanks for the link. 😉
Rosemary,
“What if his contentment comes from his belief in God?” Can’t be, Rosemary. Consider the first sentence, “…the man we are now analysing accustoms himself not to appeal from his own to any authority outside him.”
Although Ortega y Gasset wrote from a secular humanist perspective, even he would recognize that a belief in God is only possible if a man appeals to and relies on an authority other than just himself alone.
A Christian reading an intelligent and truly thoughtful humanist such as Ortega y Gasset will find himself both challenged and affirmed. Interesting. Challenging. Sometimes difficult. Always rewarding.