Make Yourself Always Desirable: As Seneca Said

Author: (Spanish) Baltasar Gracián, translated by Zhang Bin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Foolishness is everywhere in the world, and most of it stems from not knowing how to present oneself. The renowned Spanish scholar Baltasar Gracián tells us that to seek success, one should first focus on outward appearance, then delve into the study of virtues and vices, allowing cultivation to progress from the external to the internal. Appearance is particularly important—it is not merely the shell that must be shed when seeking the essence of things; the shell is as important as the fruit. Our knowledge also begins with the surface of things, and whether we like it or not, we can only approach people and things "from the outside in." Therefore, Gracián advocates, in this world where appearances dominate and deceit runs rampant, that we protect ourselves by exposing the various clever disguises of evil and delivering appropriate blows. That is, we should "face the ever-changing and fickle fortunes with joy, combat the unyielding laws with health, overcome all imperfections of nature with cultivation, and respond to everything with perceptive understanding."