1. “Slacken the tempo of your life.” In other words, reduce the number of social obligations that you voluntarily engage in. Of course, these obligations take time and therefore reduce the time you have available for study. On a deeper level, though, Sertillanges is concerned about “display and dissipation,” which are “mortal enemies of thought.” Display, or concern for the way one is perceived by others, leads to vain thoughts that can distract from one’s true purpose. Haven’t we all left a conversation wondering, “What did they think of what I said, or how I said it?” The thought can last a moment or it can distract for hours in some cases. While this sort of thought may seem inevitable in life, we should minimize the occasions in which this could happen. Dissipation is difficult to avoid in large group conversations because many people speak from many different directions and the focus is not on the True, but on the next witty comment.
What is to be avoided is not all or even most social activity. What is to be encouraged is recollection and order in our desires relating to these events. For instance, if a party is coming up on Friday, is this what our thoughts and desires revolve around all week? An intellectual ought to value his work, which is nothing less that a quest for the True, more than any particular party.
Along with reducing the number of actual social obligations, it is necessary to reduce the number of virtual obligations - Email/facebook/whatsapp, etc. Each person’s situation is quite different here, but this is a rich area for simplification. How many social networks do you belong to? Do you need to belong to all of them or to any of them? Is every email that flashes onto my phone an occasion to stop what I’m doing? There’s much more to say here and Sertillanges warnsthose who are skeptical of guidelines in this area: “you think, what would be the good of laying down rules? That is a mistake.”
2. “Obey your convictions, not mere custom.” This suggestion is helpful when the needs of your body clash with prevailing cultural norms. You may find that drinking with dinner leads to poor sleep and poor output the next day. To your courteous explanation your friends respond, “Come on! It’s just a little wine. After all, we’re celebrating the three month anniversary of Steve’s new apartment!” Stay sober, my friend.
Or, you may find that as Sertillanges recommends, you need to exercise every day. Or, that on some weekend you need to go hiking to get some fresh air, but you should go alone. Or, whatever. The important thing is to realize that your convictions will conflict with custom.
3. “One must not think and write for money.” Our motive in the quest for the True should be truth and nothing else. “Truth serves only its slaves.” It’s not enough though to simply recognize intellectually that we should be motivated by truth. We must also organize our life to prevent monetary motives from creeping in. Simplification helps this by reducing the amount of stuff that we need. And, if we need less stuff, then we will need less money. And, if we need less money, then we will be less tempted to work with money as a motive, since our monetary obligations won’t overwhelm. Also, with fewer needs, we will have money available for what furthers our work: books, furniture, vacations, classes, etc.
Check out this video for some artistic inspiration and an answer to where the title of this post comes from. The video is from a show called Blast!, which is awesome. Stick it out to the end, its worth it!
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