Who Cares What

From my experience, there are two things exceptionally important for any scholar or writer who wants to be serious about his career. They are toughness of mind and purity of heart to pursue intellectual depth. What distinguishes a good scholar or writer from mediocre ones should not be the number of publications or popularity, whether market popularity or a less artificial kind of popularity among sincere non-experts. And we know that no mortal can be entirely tough or pure (which is not regrettable for mortals qua mortals). What seems regrettable, however, is that most people who consider themselves serious about knowledge and art fall in love with their self-images rather easily. They care too much about them (“Oh I look so smart in front of these young people!”). Not just being impure, one’s heart can sink.