Never will a man do out of egoism – and I insist very much on this point – as much as he would out of idealism.
(Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira – Lecture on Aug. 23, 1973)
In This Chapter
When speaking of disinterest, people generally have in mind financial selflessness. For example, someone is praised for being a selfless leader because he does not do what he does to make money. This is an excellent quality, especially nowadays! However, as Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira expounds in this chapter, disinterest should extend to all fields, such as when being applauded, dealing with our circle of friends, and even our relationship with God.
The Word ‘Ideal,’ a Music
Idealism! The rewards, trials and glories of idealism!
Words, my dear friends,[i] are gradually transformed over generations. They sometimes mean one thing but take on a slightly different symbolism from the musical standpoint.
They steer away from their first meaning, assume another, still another, and transform themselves.
This is what happens with the words ideal and idealism. Even younger generations perceive that the word ideal has a certain resonance and luminosity, and produces a harmonious and almost ‘visual’ sound that gives it a special meaning.
The way of saying ‘ideal’ almost obliges one to sing it! It is a word that somehow forces the least poetic of men to say, like in a canticle: ‘The ideal!’
When one says, ‘so and so has an ideal,’ it is not understood as a vile desire for personal gain. For example, you cannot say in the full and proper sense of the word that someone’s ideal is to become very rich. To become very rich is a goal, an objective, an ambition, but not an ideal.
You can say: “So and so is an ambitious person; he wants to do great things.” In a sense, this statement may even be a compliment because to want to do great things, even on a small scale, is already something. But it is not an ideal.
Friends are Friends, Business is Business…
Imagine that a friend of mine tells me:
“I like you a lot! I think you’re a remarkable person.”
A little later, I ask him:
“I would need a small favor from you.”
“Oh, no way! That’s something else. Friends are friends, business is business.”
So, I conclude that either his friendship for me leads him to dedicate himself to me, or it is no friendship.
There is a saying by a classical Roman author that makes an interesting play of words: “Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur” – You discern a true friend in uncertain times. This is entirely true.
Venice (by P.R.C. – ABIM, Agência Boa Imprensa – Brazil)
Two Blind Men in Venice…[1]
Sitting on a bench facing the magnificent scenery of St. Mark’s Square and the Dodge’s Palace, immersed in their darkness, two loquacious blind men reminisce about the happy days when they could contemplate the city’s marvels.
At a certain point, with an intentionally indifferent tone of voice, one of them says:
“I heard Venice will soon disappear in a vast seaquake.
“What?!
The first blind man repeats the news and details how he imagines the potential catastrophe.
Though he could see nothing, his listener went bug-eyed, his face showing great amazement.
“As if this blindness wasn’t bad enough! Oh, my dear and marvelous Venice!”
His voice breaks up. A veil of sadness falls upon his face, and his eyes, forever blind, are wet with tears.
The first blind man, pragmatic and indifferent, says:
“So and so, don’t forget that we are blind, and since we can no longer see, we can’t care less about whether or not Venice disappears as long as we can save ourselves from the tsunami!”
“No, never! I love Venice not because I can see it but because it is what it is. Let me lament this beauty the world is about to lose!”
And grief gripped his soul.
This blind man’s love for Venice was devoid of egoism. He was not thinking of himself. Venice, queen of the seas, was worth his love for what it was and continued to be a marvel even though he could not see it.
The first blind man was a selfish who loved the city only as long as he could see it. Unlike his friend, he did not tend toward selflessness or generosity. Idealism and all forms of nobility were absent from his mind. [The reconstitution ends here]
Without Idealism, a ‘Bookkeeping’ Spirituality
Without selfless love, all impulses to fulfill the Commandments die out, and one goes into a bookkeeping type of spirituality as if placed on a scale: here are my defects, and here are my qualities. 1
The greatest offering is one made with more significant disinterest. Abraham with Isaac, for example.[Gen. 22, 2 ff.] His selflessness is fabulous: it is pure love.
For example, one can fight out of pure love by going on a Crusade or just as Isaac was about to be killed by his father. This is perfectly possible. [Dec. 12, 1976]
“Making a Deal” with God…
It is common for people to pray as if thinking, ‘I could suddenly find myself penniless, so it is good to have God nearby. I will make a deal with Him: I will go to Church and pray to see if I can buy His goodwill.”
This is a measure to guarantee my future, but it is not disinterested love. It is a challenge to Providence.
The Gospel episode with the Canaanite woman asking Our Lord for a miracle is the opposite.[Mt. 15:21-28.] He said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs.”[For she was a pagan] She answered: “Yes, Lord, for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.”
Our Lord told her, “Great is thy faith: be it done as thou wilt.”
I must have the same disposition. Our Lady requires that I be ready to accept the crumbs, sometimes not even crumbs.[Oct. 21, 1970]
St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort
Self-Interested Devotion
St. Louis Grignion calls the self-interested devotee [Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, no. 103] one who asks Our Lady above all graces of a temporal nature or only prays to obtain favors, not out of love but for personal gain.
In places of pilgrimage to Our Lady, there are many candles and ex-votos of people who insistently ask for temporal favors, most often cures of diseases. Only extremely rarely do people ask for spiritual graces. Who asks for purity, faith, and detachment? No one. They only ask for the healing of a wound or an incurable disease and then place an ex-voto.
The appetite for spiritual goods is negligible. Selfless love for Our Lady is almost nonexistent.
Notes:
[1] Free reconstitution of an excerpt from a talk given by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in the Sixties, with passages from a lecture of Dec. 2, 1988.
[i] Lecture to young men, Oct. 20, 1984.