Антонио Менегетти - The sages’ art of living

Those who are identifiable in the mastery of living (though very few) develop their healthy egoism towards a progressive mental gain and a personality cemented in economic means and qualified (the most productive for their purpose) relationships – take for granted that each law may be good, but not definite and absolute.

“Art” really means, that which gives form to the underlying force; therefore, that which gives a place to the form of the force. It comes from the basic form of the Latin verb ardere (to burn); a rough image could be the outline of the flames rising in a hearth.

The art of living is the capacity to exert influence on life by means of models of action, which determine a newness of being in the existence. Instead of repeating the cycle of existence, the individual invents ways of behaving of such high power that they allow him to objectify existence as being a natural background to his own personality’s game. In the art of living, the subject uses the existence of life without believing in it; not because he despises or undervalues it. On the contrary, he comprehends it and values it more than others do, but he discovers the ultimate goal, and he lives the rest as theatre.

In the dimensions of the art of living, one can comprehend the continuous danger of things and relationships, exercising daily living with extreme precision. Each relationship or thing has its own measure of time, place, substance, and circumstance. If one mistakenly misses any of these criteria, he will find existence against him and will lose the opportunity of using life as a personal object. The art of living belongs to those rare people who can master life as an act of their own spirit, and they can be defined as sages. “Sage” comes from the Latin “sapiens” that means “wise”. The root is the verb “sapere” (to know) which means to have or to give knowledge. The sage is he who knows and acts with pleasure. Sapience is the technique of taking pleasure from existence.

These differences having been distinguished, it is now clear that I will not stop on the hidden ravines of those who expiate their lives in disease, or who survive in a state of congenital inertness according to the tolerance of the chemical and physiological compounds of their bodies. This kind of life is neurosis. The culture of the system is sufficient for this type of life. For the mastery of living one must discover that which is common in other cultures or in absolute extremist opinions.

Thus, I will now explain some indications and experiences pertaining to the art of living.

In many young people, there is an acute tension to be perfect in their own destiny. This thirst to discover a far-off place, where the subject can at last find his own real identity for which he is recognized and loved as unique, can show itself at any age before twenty-four. It creates a general dissatisfaction and hurts in a profound way that is beyond any other instinct or satisfaction. This pain manifests as the fiery tears that seep – invisible – down cheeks. A frustration is experienced that cannot be attributed to any external reason, but is nevertheless so total that doubt remains, whether it is due to an external mistake or to an unconscious personal guilt.

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