The Science of Being Great: A Summary

What is the universal sense of want and ignorance, but the fine innuendo by which the great soul makes its enormous claim? Why do men feel that the natural history of man has never been written, but always he is leaving behind what you have said of him, and it becomes old, and books of metaphysics worthless? The philosophy of six thousand years has not searched the chambers and magazines of the soul. In its experiments there has always remained, in the last analysis, a residuum it could not resolve. Man is a stream whose source is hidden. Always our being is descending into us from we know not whence. The most exact calculator has no prescience that somewhat incalculable may not balk the very next moment. I am constrained every moment to acknowledge a higher origin for events than the will I call mine. As with events, so it is with thoughts. When I watch that flowing river, which, out of regions I see not, pours for a season its streams into me,—I see that I am a pensioner,—not a cause, but a surprised spectator of this ethereal water; that I desire and look up, and put myself in the attitude for reception, but from some alien energy the visions come. The Supreme Critic on all the errors of the past and present, and the only prophet of that which must be, is that great nature in which we rest, as the earth lies in the soft arms of the atmosphere; that Unity, that Oversoul, with which every man’s particular being is contained and made one with all other; that common heart, of which all sincere conversation is the worship, to which all right action is submission; that overpowering reality which confutes our tricks and talents, and constrains every one to pass for what he is, and to speak from his character and not from his tongue; and which evermore tends and aims to pass into our thought and hand, and become wisdom, and virtue, and power, and beauty. We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related; the eternal One. And this deep power in which we exist, and whose beatitude is all accessible to us, is not only self-sufficing and perfect in every hour, but the act of seeing, and the thing seen, the seer and the spectacle, the subject and the object, are one. We see the world piece by piece, as the sun, the moon, the animal, the tree; but the whole, of which these are the shining parts, is the soul. It is only by the vision of that Wisdom, that the horoscope of the ages can be read, and it is only by falling back on our better thoughts, by yielding to the spirit of prophecy which is innate in every man, that we know what it saith. Every man’s words, who speaks from that life, must sound vain to those who do not dwell in the same thought on their own part. I dare not speak for it. My words do not carry its august sense; they fall short and cold. Only itself can inspire whom it will, and behold! their speech shall be lyrical and sweet, and universal as the rising of the wind. Yet I desire, even by profane words, if sacred I may not use, to indicate the heaven of this deity, and to report what hints I have collected of the transcendent simplicity and energy of the Highest Law. If we consider what happens in conversation, in reveries, in remorse, in times of passion, in surprises, in the instruction of dreams wherein often we see ourselves in masquerade,—the droll disguises only magnifying and enhancing a real element, and forcing it on our distinct notice,—we shall catch many hints that will broaden and lighten into knowledge of the secret of nature. All goes to show that the soul in man is not an organ, but animates and exercises all the organs; is not a function, like the power of memory, of calculation, of comparison,—but uses these as hands and feet; is not a faculty, but a light; is not the intellect or the will, but the master of the intellect and the will;—is the vast background of our being, in which they lie,—an immensity not possessed and that cannot be possessed. From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all. A man is the facade of a temple wherein all wisdom and all good abide. What we commonly call man, the eating, drinking, planting, counting man, does not, as we know him, represent himself, but misrepresents himself. Him we do not respect, but the soul, whose organ he is, would he let it appear through his action, would make our knees bend. When it breathes through his intellect, it is genius; when it flows through his affection it is love.** * * After its own law and not by arithmetic is the rate of its progress to be computed. The soul’s advances are not made by gradation, such as can be represented by motion in a straight line; but rather by ascension of state, such as can be represented by metamorphosis,—from the egg to the worm, from the worm to the fly. The growths of genius are of a certain total character, that does not advance the elect individual first over John, then Adam, then Richard, and give to each the pain of discovered inferiority, but by every throe of growth the man expands there where he works, passing, at each pulsation, classes, populations of men. With each divine impulse the mind rends the thin rinds of the visible and finite, and comes out into eternity, and inspires and expires its air. It converses with truths that have always been spoken in the world, and becomes conscious of a closer sympathy with Zeno and Arrian, than with persons in the house. This is the law of moral and of mental gain. The simple rise as by specific levity, not into a particular virtue, but into the region of all the virtues. They are in the spirit which contains them all. The soul is superior to all the particulars of merit. The soul requires purity, but purity is not it; requires justice, but justice is not that; requires beneficence, but is somewhat better: so that there is a kind of descent and accommodation felt when we leave speaking of moral nature, to urge a virtue which it enjoins. For, to the soul in her pure action, all the virtues are natural, and not painfully acquired. Speak to his heart, and the man becomes suddenly virtuous. Within the same sentiment is the germ of intellectual growth, which obeys the same law. Those who are capable of humility, of justice, of love, of aspiration, are already on a platform that commands the sciences and arts, speech and poetry, action and grace. For whoso dwells in this mortal beatitude, does already anticipate those special powers which men prize so highly; just as love does justice to all the gifts of the object beloved. The lover has no talent, no skill, which passes for quite nothing with his enamored maiden, however little she may possess of related faculty. And the heart which abandons itself to the Supreme Mind finds itself related to all its works and will travel a royal road to particular knowledge and powers. For, in ascending to this primary and aboriginal sentiment, we have come from our remote station on the circumference instantaneously to the center of the world, where, as in the closet of God, we see causes, and anticipate the universe, which is but a slow effect.

What is our universal sense of need and ignorance but a subtle hint of the great soul’s enormous claim? Why do people feel that humanity’s natural history has never been written? Humanity always moves beyond what you have said about it. Your account becomes outdated, and books of metaphysics become worthless. Six thousand years of philosophy have not explored the soul’s chambers and storehouses. In every experiment, something has ultimately remained that philosophy could not explain. A human being is a stream whose source is hidden. Our being constantly flows into us from a source we do not know. Even the most precise calculator cannot foresee whether something unpredictable may frustrate the very next moment. At every moment, I must acknowledge that events have a higher origin than the will I call my own. The same is true of thoughts. I watch that flowing river pour its streams into me for a time, from regions I cannot see. I realize that I depend on its support. I am not its cause, but a surprised spectator of this heavenly water. I long for it, look upward, and prepare myself to receive it. But the visions come from an energy outside me. The Supreme Critic of all past and present errors is that great nature in which we rest. It alone foretells what must be. We rest within it as the earth rests in the atmosphere’s gentle arms. It is that Unity, that Oversoul, which contains each person’s individual being and unites it with all others. It is the shared heart that all sincere conversation worships and all right action obeys. This overwhelming reality exposes our tricks and talents as inadequate. It forces everyone to be seen for who they are and to speak from character, not merely with words. This reality always seeks to enter our thoughts and actions, becoming wisdom, virtue, power, and beauty. We live through one moment after another, divided into parts and particles. Yet within each person is the soul of the whole, the wise silence, the universal beauty. Every part and particle is equally related to this beauty, the eternal One. We exist within this deep power, and its blessedness is fully open to us. This power is complete in itself and perfect at every moment. Within it, seeing and what is seen are one. The observer and the spectacle, the subject and the object, are one. We see the world piece by piece: the sun, the moon, the animal, the tree. But the whole, of which these are the shining parts, is the soul. Only through the vision of that Wisdom can we read the destiny of the ages. Only by returning to our better thoughts can we know what that Wisdom says. We must yield to the spirit of prophecy born within every person. Anyone who speaks from that life must sound empty to those who do not share that way of thinking. I do not dare speak for it. My words cannot convey its majesty. They fall short and feel cold. Only that life itself can inspire whomever it chooses. And look, their speech will be lyrical and sweet, as universal as the rising wind. Still, I want to point toward this deity’s heaven, using ordinary words if I cannot use sacred ones. I want to report the hints I have gathered of the Highest Law’s surpassing simplicity and energy. Consider what happens in conversation, daydreams, remorse, intense emotion, surprises, and the lessons of dreams. In dreams, we often see ourselves in disguise. These strange disguises only enlarge and emphasize something real, forcing us to notice it clearly. By considering these experiences, we can gather many hints that will expand and clarify our knowledge of nature’s secret. All these experiences show that the soul within us is not an organ. Instead, it gives life to all the organs and puts them to work. The soul is not a function like memory, calculation, or comparison. Instead, it uses these functions as hands and feet. It is not an ability, but a light. It is not the intellect or the will, but the master of both. It is the vast background of our being, within which intellect and will exist. This immensity is not possessed and cannot be possessed. From within or behind us, a light shines through us onto things. This light makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is everything. A human being is the outer face of a temple where all wisdom and goodness live. The person we commonly recognize eats, drinks, plants, and counts. As we know that person, he does not reveal his true self, but misrepresents it. We do not respect that outward person. But he is an instrument of the soul. If he let the soul appear through his actions, it would bring us to our knees. When the soul breathes through his intellect, it is genius. When it flows through his affection, it is love.** * * The soul’s progress must be measured by its own law, not by arithmetic. Its advances do not come in gradual steps, like movement along a straight line. Instead, the soul rises into a new state, like a transformation from egg to worm, and from worm to fly. Genius grows in a way that transforms the whole person. It does not raise the chosen individual above John, then Adam, then Richard, making each painfully aware of his inferiority. Instead, with every struggle of growth, the person expands within the field of his work. With each pulse of growth, he passes whole classes and populations of people. With each divine impulse, the mind tears through the thin shells of the visible and limited world. It emerges into eternity and breathes eternity’s air in and out. The mind engages with truths that have always been spoken in the world. It feels a closer connection with Zeno and Arrian than with people in the same house. This is the law of moral and mental growth. Those who are simple in spirit rise as though their very nature makes them light. They rise not into one particular virtue, but into the realm of all virtues. They live in the spirit that contains every virtue. The soul is greater than any particular form of goodness. The soul requires purity, but purity is not the soul. It requires justice, but justice is not the soul. It requires generosity, but is something better than generosity. So we feel a kind of lowering and compromise when we stop discussing moral nature to urge a particular virtue. Yet moral nature itself commands that virtue. For when the soul acts purely, all virtues come naturally rather than through painful effort. Speak to a person’s heart, and that person suddenly becomes virtuous. The seed of intellectual growth lies within this same feeling, and intellectual growth follows the same law. Those capable of humility, justice, love, and aspiration already stand on ground overlooking the sciences and arts. From that ground, they also command speech and poetry, action and grace. Anyone who lives in this earthly blessedness already has a foretaste of the special powers people value so highly. In the same way, love recognizes every gift of the beloved. A lover has no talent or skill that counts for nothing with the young woman who loves him. This is true however little related ability she may have herself. And the heart that gives itself completely to the Supreme Mind finds a connection with all that mind’s works. That heart will follow a direct and privileged path to particular knowledge and powers. For by rising to this first and original feeling, we move instantly from our distant place on the circumference. We arrive at the center of the world, as though entering God’s private chamber. There we see causes and foresee the universe, which is only their slowly unfolding effect.