"The Glass Bead Game" Reading Notes#
Author: Hermann Hesse
Reading Duration: 4 hours
These are the notes and excerpts I recorded while reading "The Glass Bead Game" on WeChat Reading.
Translator's Preface#
A Platonic dream, it is not an eternally valid ideal goal, but merely a possibility that makes oneself relative to the known world.
A correct and true truth must allow for being inverted. Whatever is real, its opposite must also be real. Because every truth is a brief observation of the world made from a specific point, and every point exists in relation to another point.
A Platonic dream, it is not an eternally valid ideal goal, but merely a possibility that makes oneself relative to the known world.
A correct and true truth must allow for being inverted. Whatever is real, its opposite must also be real. Because every truth is a brief observation of the world made from a specific point, and every point exists in relation to another point.
Introduction — An Attempt to Explain the Glass Bead Game and Its History#
We do not agree with those traitors who destroy order driven by desire and greed; we only remember those who are devoted, for they are the truly tragic figures.
The mind is formed by the gathering of potential possibilities, in order to measure everything by potentiality. It is an absolute necessity that measures everything in a state of unity, harmony, and simplicity, just as God does. It is also a necessity of connection, measuring everything in the unique individuality of related things. Finally, it can also limit this potentiality to measure everything related to existence. Moreover, the mind can symbolically measure by comparative forms, just as it can equalize them with other things through numbers and geometric figures.
History is history, regardless of whether it is correct, whether it perhaps should not have happened, or whether we wish to acknowledge its "meaning"; everything is unchangeable.
To want to overthrow the outdated and decayed, to want to rebuild the world and its morals through politics and war, only culture itself must first possess the true ability for self-examination and the capacity to incorporate a new cosmic order.
As Pliny the Elder stated: "This late culture — like the late culture of ancient Greek and Roman civilization, the Greek culture of the Alexander era — accepts its fate with a humble and proud attitude."
People always take a long time to awaken to the realization that all the surface of civilization, all technology, industry, commerce, etc., must also have spiritual morality and integrity.
We do not agree with those traitors who destroy order driven by desire and greed; we only remember those who are devoted, for they are the truly tragic figures.
The mind is formed by the gathering of potential possibilities, in order to measure everything by potentiality. It is an absolute necessity that measures everything in a state of unity, harmony, and simplicity, just as God does. It is also a necessity of connection, measuring everything in the unique individuality of related things. Finally, it can also limit this potentiality to measure everything related to existence. Moreover, the mind can symbolically measure by comparative forms, just as it can equalize them with other things through numbers and geometric figures.
History is history, regardless of whether it is correct, whether it perhaps should not have happened, or whether we wish to acknowledge its "meaning"; everything is unchangeable.
To want to overthrow the outdated and decayed, to want to rebuild the world and its morals through politics and war, only culture itself must first possess the true ability for self-examination and the capacity to incorporate a new cosmic order.
As Pliny the Elder stated: "This late culture — like the late culture of ancient Greek and Roman civilization, the Greek culture of the Alexander era — accepts its fate with a humble and proud attitude."
People always take a long time to awaken to the realization that all the surface of civilization, all technology, industry, commerce, etc., must also have spiritual morality and integrity.
Inspiration#
And in the last days before he was to leave the school, because he had transcended this beloved hometown, because he had to abandon a way of life that no longer suited him, and because he had spent many extremely joyful and brilliant moments in this brief time, the farewell became a tremendous torment, an unbearable pressure and pain, because everything in the world had left him, and he could not determine whether he himself had abandoned everything, whether he should bear guilt for leaving such a lovely and familiar world, due to his ambition, vanity, arrogance, infidelity, and lack of love.
Having placed too many expectations, or perhaps the opposite. Undoubtedly, the Glass Bead Game also has its dangers. But we love it precisely because it is dangerous; only the weak are sent down the risk-free path. But you must always remember what I often tell you: our goal is to correctly understand the contradictions and oppositions, first of course to see them as contradictions, but then to regard them as relative poles of a unified whole. This is also the characteristic of the Glass Bead Game. Those with artistic talent love the Glass Bead Game because they can gain opportunities for improvisational imagination from it.
To be enthusiastic about everything and to want to do everything well requires a great deal of spiritual strength, courage, and passion; a little less will not do. What you call passion is not actually spiritual strength, but rather the force generated by the friction between the soul and the external world. Wherever your so-called passion dominates, it is less about the existence of a large number of desires and ambitions, and more about directing them towards a misguided goal of self-isolation, thus forming a tense and oppressive atmosphere of the times. At the same time, those who strive with all their might towards the center, those who strive towards real existence and the realm of perfection, appear much calmer than the passionate ones, because people do not always see their burning flames. For example, he will never shout loudly during a debate, nor will he wave his arms. But I can assure you, he is fervent and is burning!
Truth is gained through experience; truth cannot be taught. Joseph K. Let yourself comprehend in struggle; I might as well say it has already begun.
And in the last days before he was to leave the school, because he had transcended this beloved hometown, because he had to abandon a way of life that no longer suited him, and because he had spent many extremely joyful and brilliant moments in this brief time, the farewell became a tremendous torment, an unbearable pressure and pain, because everything in the world had left him, and he could not determine whether he himself had abandoned everything, whether he should bear guilt for leaving such a lovely and familiar world, due to his ambition, vanity, arrogance, infidelity, and lack of love.
Having placed too many expectations, or perhaps the opposite. Undoubtedly, the Glass Bead Game also has its dangers. But we love it precisely because it is dangerous; only the weak are sent down the risk-free path. But you must always remember what I often tell you: our goal is to correctly understand the contradictions and oppositions, first of course to see them as contradictions, but then to regard them as relative poles of a unified whole. This is also the characteristic of the Glass Bead Game. Those with artistic talent love the Glass Bead Game because they can gain opportunities for improvisational imagination from it.
To be enthusiastic about everything and to want to do everything well requires a great deal of spiritual strength, courage, and passion; a little less will not do. What you call passion is not actually spiritual strength, but rather the force generated by the friction between the soul and the external world. Wherever your so-called passion dominates, it is less about the existence of a large number of desires and ambitions, and more about directing them towards a misguided goal of self-isolation, thus forming a tense and oppressive atmosphere of the times. At the same time, those who strive with all their might towards the center, those who strive towards real existence and the realm of perfection, appear much calmer than the passionate ones, because people do not always see their burning flames. For example, he will never shout loudly during a debate, nor will he wave his arms. But I can assure you, he is fervent and is burning!
Truth is gained through experience; truth cannot be taught. Joseph K. Let yourself comprehend in struggle; I might as well say it has already begun.
Waltz#
The history of the development of music cannot be understood merely through any abstract reasoning or historical works on its stylistic development. For example, whether we can recognize the decline of music; if we do not see that every decline is due to sensory and quantitative factors overwhelming spiritual factors, we will certainly not be able to enter the door.
For instance, the more eagerly a task attracts us, sometimes exciting us and sometimes exhausting and oppressing us, the more easily we overlook this source, just as people often easily forget to take care of their bodies when they are engrossed in some spiritual work. Those truly great individuals in history either deeply understand the way of meditation or unconsciously grasp the realm that meditation leads to. As for others, even if they are exceptionally talented and energetic, the ultimate result is failure and collapse, because their self-proclaimed important work or ambitions become the masters, causing them to lose the ability to detach from the present chaos and maintain distance to achieve their goals.
The history of the development of music cannot be understood merely through any abstract reasoning or historical works on its stylistic development. For example, whether we can recognize the decline of music; if we do not see that every decline is due to sensory and quantitative factors overwhelming spiritual factors, we will certainly not be able to enter the door.
For instance, the more eagerly a task attracts us, sometimes exciting us and sometimes exhausting and oppressing us, the more easily we overlook this source, just as people often easily forget to take care of their bodies when they are engrossed in some spiritual work. Those truly great individuals in history either deeply understand the way of meditation or unconsciously grasp the realm that meditation leads to. As for others, even if they are exceptionally talented and energetic, the ultimate result is failure and collapse, because their self-proclaimed important work or ambitions become the masters, causing them to lose the ability to detach from the present chaos and maintain distance to achieve their goals.
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