Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945)
About stupidity
For the good, stupidity is a more dangerous enemy than malice. You can resist malice, you can unmask it, or you can prevent it with strength. Malice always contains the seeds of its own destruction, for it is always uncomfortable, if not worse. However, in the face of stupidity, it is impossible to defend. To oppose stupidity, resistance and strength are useless, and stupidity is not subordinate to reason at all. If the facts are contrary to one's own prejudices, then there is no need to believe the facts, and if those facts cannot be denied, then they can be simply ignored as exceptions. So compared to villains, stupid people are always complacent. And he can easily become dangerous, because it is easy to make him throw a punch. So, rather than malice, stupidity requires being dealt with with twice as carefully. Let's stop trying to reason with stupid people, because that's useless and dangerous.
To deal properly with stupidity, it is essential to recognize it as it is. It is quite certain that stupidity is a moral defect, not an intellectual defect. There are people who are intellectually superior but stupid, and there are people who are mentally inferior but by no means stupid, and we are surprised to find this situation as a product of certain circumstances. We get the impression that stupidity is cultivated, not innate; that stupidity is cultivated in environments where people make themselves stupid, or allow others to make themselves stupid. We further note that stupidity is much more prevalent among individuals or groups who are inclined or destined to live in groups or associates than those who are not sociable or lonely. From this point of view, stupidity is a sociological problem, not a psychological one. It is a special form of the role of the historical environment on man, a psychological by-product of specific external factors. A closer look reveals that any violent revolution, whether political or religious, seems to have caused a stupid outburst among large numbers of people. In fact, this has almost become a law of psychology and sociology. The strength of one side requires the stupidity of the other. It is not that some innate human ability, such as intellectual ability, has been hindered or destroyed. On the contrary, it is the rise of power that has become so terrible that it deprives man of his independent judgment, and he abandons (more or less unconsciously) his own effort to evaluate new events. A fool may often be very stubborn, but we must not mistake him for independence. One feels, more or less, especially in conversation with a fool, that it is simply impossible to talk to him personally, to have a sympathetic conversation with him. When you talk to him, you don't come across him personally, but a series of slogans and things like that have the power to control him. He has been deceived by others, his eyes have been blinded, his humanity has been exploited and ruined. Once he surrenders his will and becomes a mere instrument, there is no longer any limit of sin that a fool cannot reach, but he still cannot ever understand that it is sin. Here there is a danger of demonically distorting human nature, which will cause irreparable damage to man.
Yet it is in this respect that we realize that stupid people cannot be saved by education. All he needed was salvation and nothing else. So far, attempts to persuade him by rational argument have been of little use. In this state of affairs, we can fully understand why it is futile to try to discover what the "people" are really thinking, and why the question is also completely superfluous to those who think and act responsibly. As the Bible says, "Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom." In other words, the only cure for stupidity is spiritual salvation, for only in this way can one live like a responsible person in God's eyes.
However, there is also a little comfort in these reflections on the stupidity of man. We don't have any reason to think that most people are stupid in all circumstances. What has long played a major role is that our rulers want more from the stupidity of people, not from their independent judgment and keen minds.
The meaning of quality
Unless we have the courage to fight to restore healthy and beneficial inclusion among men, all human values will be lost in chaos. Rude contempt for this tolerance, like inner instability, is the sign of the insurgent, for the quarrel and flattery of the arrogant are the same way to become a rioter, just as they descend to the level of the insurgent. Where self-esteem and self-esteem have been abandoned, where the feeling of human qualities and the power of inclusion have declined, great chaos is looming. Where rudeness is allowed for material comfort, self-esteem and self-esteem are abandoned, floodgates are opened, and chaos breaks through the levees we have sworn to guard. This is a crime committed against human nature. In other times, the struggle for equality for all may have been the duty of Christians. Today, however, it is our duty to passionately defend the sense of inclusion among people. If we act for our own good, if we become antisocial, we will be condemned. We must accept with peace of mind those inferior ridicules. They are a constant protest by the rioters against etiquette and order. To accommodate and to waver is to not realize that something is in danger, and to see no doubt greatly contribute to the justification of those ridicules. We are witnessing the widening of the disparities at all levels of society, but at the same time we are also seeing the birth of a new noble consciousness that is bringing together certain people from the previous social classes. Nobility arises and develops from self-sacrifice, courage, and a consistent sense of responsibility for oneself to society. It expects the respect it deserves for itself, but it also shows the same natural respect for others, whether their rank is high or low. Throughout, it requires the restoration of the lost awareness of quality, the restoration of a quality-based social order. Quality is the mortal enemy of consistency in all its forms. On the social side, it means the end of all pursuit of status, the end of the cult of "stars.". It requires people's eyes to look both upwards and downwards, especially in the choice of their close friends. On the cultural side, it means returning from newspapers and radios to books, from fanatical activity to calm leisure, from debauchery to meditative memories, from intense feelings to quiet thinking, from technique to art, from inflammatory to gentleness and modesty, from bluff to moderation and peace. Quantity competes with each other, and quality complements each other.
sympathize
We must not forget that the vast majority of people learn wisdom only through personal experience. First, it explains why there are so few people who can take precautions in advance – people always think that they will always be able to overcome dangers in one way or another. Second, it also illustrates why people are insensitive to the suffering of others. Compassion grows in proportion to fear of imminent catastrophe. There are many ethical justifications for this attitude. No one wants to confront fate head-on: only in the face of real danger will there be a need for inner calling and the power to act. No one can be held accountable for all the suffering and injustice in this world, and no one wants to make himself the judge of this universe. Psychologically, our lack of imagination, sensitivity, and mental acumen is balanced by a steady calm, an undisturbed concentration, and a great inclusiveness of suffering. But, from the Christian point of view, none of these conditions of sedation can compensate for the most important factor, the lack of genuinely broad compassion, which Christ did not suffer until his own moment came, but as soon as the suffering came, he, as a free man, reached out his hands and grasped it. As the Bible tells us, Christ, with His own body, endured all the sufferings of our human beings as if they were His own (a great thought), and endured them completely voluntarily. Of course, we are not Christ, and we do not have to redeem the world with any of our own actions or suffering. We do not need to impose such an unbearable burden on ourselves. We are not masters, but mere instruments in the hands of the Lord of history (God). Our ability to sympathize with others at times of suffering is extremely limited. We are not Christ, but if we are to become Christians, we must demonstrate the breadth of Christ-like compassion by acting responsibly, by seizing our "moments," by facing danger like free men, by showing a genuine compassion for the liberation and redemption of Christ not out of fear, but from Christ's love for the liberation and salvation of all those who suffer. Standing by is the least in line with the way of Christ. The Christian does not need to wait until his own personal crucifixion; the suffering of His brethren for whom Christ died is enough to awaken his positive sympathy.
optimism
To be a pessimist is to be cautious. It's a safety guarantee against disappointment, and no one can say, "I told you that long ago." That's how the cautious condemn optimists. The essence of optimism is that it does not consider the present, but where everyone else is discouraged, it is a source of inspiration, vitality and hope; it can raise one's head high and fight for one's future, never handing it over to one's enemies. Of course, there is also a kind of stupid, improvisational optimism that is reprehensible. But optimism as a will to the future should never be taken lightly, even if it has been proven wrong a thousand times. It is the health and vitality that patients should never go to blame. Some people think it is light, and some Christians think that it is non-religious to seek and prepare for something better in this life. They believe in chaos, disorder and catastrophe. They believe that this is the meaning of the events of the present, and in a completely disheartened or devout escapism they have abdicated all their responsibilities for the protection of life, for the unborn generations. Perhaps, tomorrow is the day of the final judgment. If this were the case, we would happily give up our labor for a better future, but not before tomorrow.
Are we still useful?
We have been silent witnesses to all kinds of evil deeds. We've had a lot of storms rolling over our heads. We are already familiar with fraudulent and ambiguous speaking techniques. Experience makes us suspicious of others and makes us lose our cheerfulness and frankness. The bitter and bitter struggle has left us sleepy and depressed, even cynical. Are we still useful? What we need is not genius, not cynicism, not cynicism, not astute strategists, but sincere, honest people. To enable us to find a way back to simplicity and sincerity, is our spiritual package sufficiently adequate, and our own integrity sufficiently unashamed?
Excerpt from © Bonhoeffer's "Jane in Prison", translated by Gao Shining.