THE S ELF AND
T'H
E 0 THE R
407
in which pure action is deified. The stage is filled with crimes.
Human life loses value, is no longer regarded, and all fonus of
violence and spoliation are practiced. Hence whenever the figure
of the pure man of action rises above the horizon and becomes
dominant, the first thing for us to do is to hold tight. Anyone who
would really like to learn what effects spoliation produces in a
great empire can see them set forth in the first great book to be
written on the Roman Empire-until now we did not know what
that empire was. I refer to the book by the great Russian savant
Rostovtzeff, entitled
Social and Economic History oj the Roman
Empire.
Removed in this manner from its normal connection with con–
templation, with taking a stand within the self,
pure action
permits
and produces only a concatenation of stupidities which we might
better call a
disconcatenation.
So we see today that an absurd at–
titude justifies the appearance of an opposing attitude equally un–
reasonable; reasonable enough, however; and so on indefinitely.
Such is the extreme to which political matters in the West have
come!
Such being the case, it would seem sensible that, wherever
circumstances give us even the slightest respite, we attempt to
break this magic circle of
alteraci6n,
which flings us from one folly
to another; it would seem sensible that we should say to ourselves–
as, after all, we say to ourselves many a time in our more ordinary
life when our surroundings press upon us, when we feel lost in a
whirlpool of problems: Quietly now! What meaning has this
command? Simply that of inviting us to suspend for a moment
the action which threatens to distr.act us and make us lose our heads;
to suspend action for a moment so that we may withdraw into
ourselves, review our ideas of the circumstances, and work out a
plan of strategy.
Without a strategic retreat into the self, without vigilant
thought, human life is impossible. Call to mind all that mankind
owes to certain great withdrawals into the self! It is no chance that
all the great founders of religions preceded their apostolates by
famous retreats. Buddha withdrew to the forest; Mohammed with–
drew to his tent, and even there he withdrew from his tent by wrap-
