Only those who take leisurely what the people
of the world are busy about
can be busy about what the people of the world
take leisurely.
-- Chang Ch'ao
And so I opened The Importance of Living
by Lin Yutang.Right away there is a discussion about idealism and realism, and formulas are put forward for national characters (French, English, Americans) and a brief list of poets and writers. Yutang believes that 'manking seems to be divided into idealists and realists, and idealism and realism are the two great forces molding human progress.'
I thought it would be interesting to consider the formulas put forward by Yutang and then come up with a self describing equation.
His list breaks down as follows:
Reality - Dreams = Animal Being
Reality + Dreams = A Heart-Ache (usually called Idealism)
Reality + Humor = Realism (also called Conservatism)
Dreams - Humor = Fanaticism
Dreams + Humor = Fantasy
Reality + Dreams + Humor = Wisdom
I have rightly been called an idealist in the past, and I recognize my failure to find humor in more things than I do. And, I am far too serious most of the time.
Yutang goes on to provide his assessment of the nature of certain peoples based on units of realism, dreams, humor, and sensitivity.
R3D2H2S1 = The English
R2D3H3S3 = The French
R3D3H2S2 = The Americans
R3D4H1S2 = The Germans
R2D4H1S1 = The Russians
R2D3H1S1 = The Japanese
R4D1H3S3 = The Chinese
I think my equation would look something like this:
R2D4H1S4 = Maria
While I have a realistic view, I don't accept things as they are and then detach from them. Instead, my dream quotient is high, and it butts up against realism -- pushing hard, resisting. An idealist, for sure, but I've never considered that a weakness. Low humor is really a result of high seriousness; one takes up too much space and doesn't allow the other any oxygen. And then there is the S factor -- sensitivity. Quite high for me. I believe it is the font of my creativity and is certainly evidenced in my writing. I've recently learned about my work that it is relies on emotion more than plot, and so my stories are really about the response to life, the feelings that make up that response. That is the story. Anyway...
At least, that's how I see it for now. How about you?
