Reading “On the Family”

For me, reading is a process that enables me to view myself from a commanding perspective. It allows me to see me. Alberti’s On the Family is a good essay to read, concise and profound, in which I found many things I’m experiencing. Here’re excerpts from the article, along with personal notes.

Excerpt 1: “Think for a moment: can you find a man—or even imagine one—who fears infamy, though he may have no strong desire for glory, and yet does not hate idleness and sloth? Who can ever think it possible to achieve honors and dignity without the loving study of excellent arts, without assiduous work, without striving in difficult manly tasks? If one wishes to gain praise and fame, he must abhor idleness and laziness and oppose them as deadly foes. There is nothing that gives rise to dishonor and infamy as much as idleness. Idleness has always been the breeding place of vice.

Therefore, idleness which is the cause of so many evils must be hated by all good men. Even if idleness were not a deadly enemy of good customs and the cause of every vice, as everyone knows it is, what man, though inept, could wish to spend his life without using his mind, his limbs, his every faculty? Does an idle man differ from a tree trunk, a statue, or a putrid corpse? As for me, one who does not care for honor or fear shame and does not act with prudence and intelligence does not live well.

But one who lies buried in idleness and sloth and completely neglects good deeds and fine studies is altogether dead. One who does not give himself body and soul to the quest for praise and virtue is to be deemed unworthy of life...

Man comes into this world in order to enjoy all things, be virtuous, and make himself happy. For he who may be called happy will be useful to other men, and he who is now useful to others cannot but please God.

I believe it will not be excessively difficult for a man to acquire the highest honors and glory, if he perseveres in his studies as much as is necessary, toiling, sweating, and striving to surpass all others by far. It is said that man can do anything he wants. If you will strive with all your strength and skill, as I have said, I have no doubt you will reach the highest degree of perfection and fame in any profession…”

Notes: “laziness, idleness, sloth”, aren’t they exactly my status quo? Are they deadly foes to achieving honor and dignity. Yes, indeed. Do I fear infamy? Yes. Do I have strong desire for glory? I do, perhaps a bit weaker now. Do I hate idleness and sloth? Well, I very much do, as much as I hate oversleeping, unbridled game hours or messing around but never getting to business. Do I have the loving study of excellent arts, assiduous work or striving in difficult manly tasks? I don’t think my records live up to those. Alberti said that “idleness has always been the breeding place of vice.” I agree on that. I would be more than stupid to blame my mishaps on others. As always, I’m in a habit of giving up things halfway the moment they turn hard. It’s normalcy. Morbid, isn’t it? Alberti wen on, “what man, though inept, could wish to spend his life without using his mind, his limbs, his every faculty? I haven’t reduced myself to the level of ineptness yet, after a few major challenges I’ve managed to conquer. But history is never to be dwelled on. We have to look forward. If I let the idlization process continue to consume me, I would very much become what Alberti said—a tree trunk, a statue, a putrid corpse, or whatever. I must continue to care for honor, fear for shame, and act with prudence and intelligence. Perseverance  in my studies, toiling, sweating, and striving to surpass all others by far. I can’t afford to sink into oblivion.

Excerpt 2: To those of noble and liberal spirit, no occupations seem less brilliant than those whose purpose is to make money…Some say that these occupations, which we shall call pecuniary, always entail dishonesty and numerous lies and often entail dishonest agreements and fraudulent contracts. They say, therefore, that those of liberal spirit must completely avoid them as dishonest and mercenary. But I believe that those who judge all pecuniary occupations in this manner are wrong. Granted that acquiring wealth is not a glorious enterprise to be likened to the most noble professions. We must not, however, scorn a man who is not naturally endowed for noble deeds if he turns to these other occupations in which he knows he is not inept and which, everyone admits, are of great use to the family and to the state. Riches are useful for gaining friends and praise, for with them we can help those in need. With wealth we can gain fame and prestige if we use it munificently for great and noble projects.

Note: Is money invariably antithetical to a noble cause? That I have not figured out yet. However, choice between the two is looming large.