Book 4 (Part II)

73 But even the beginner may attempt this practice with advantage. Either a fact fits in or it does not; if it does not, harmony is broken ; and as the Universal harmony cannot be broken, the discord must be in the mind of the student, thus showing that he is not in tune with that Universal choir. Let him then puzzle out first the great facts, then the little; until one summer, when he is bald and lethargic after lunch, he understands and appreciates the existence of flies ! This lack of Understanding with which we all begin is so terrible, so pitiful. In this world there is so much cruelty, so much waste, so much stupidity. The contemplation of the Universe must be at first almost pure anguish. It is this fact which is responsible for most of the speculations of philosophy. Mediaeval philosophers went hopelessly astray because their theology necessitated the reference of all things to the standard of men's welfare. They even became stupid: Bernardin de St. Pierre (was it not?) said that the goodness of God was such that wherever men had built a great city. He had placed a river to assist them in conveying merchandise. But the truth is that in no way can we imagine the Universe as devised. If horses were made for men to ride, were not men made for worms to eat?