Self and Soul A Defense of Ideals

What is better: a short heroic life that brings glory or a long peaceful
existence full of humane contentment? For the majority of people
living in the civilized West, this is not a diffi cult question; it is barely
a question at all. They seek wealth and longevity. They want to be
respected by their neighbors and be secure— and they want the same
for their children. They live within the borders of Self. Self can be
greedy and grasping, though it can also be civilized and highly re-
sponsible. (There are more and less enlightened forms of Self hood.)
Yet ultimately Self puts its own interests fi rst. Health and money,
an occupation, a place in the world, success: these are the goals Self
establishes and pursues. Self exists within the sphere of its own de-
sires. Even in its most expansive moments, Self has a diffi cult time
imagining that there could be other ways to live, other States.
But there are. Self is not the only state of being that a human can
enter: there is also the State of Soul. Soul is unifi ed, joy bringing,
and fully pre sent to experience. Yet it’s also a dangerous State, both
to the individual who enters it or strives to do so and to those he
encounters in the world. If from the beginning of history the great
majority have been people who would choose a long life of civilized
contentment over a life of glory, there have been others— a few— who

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The Hero