The Self vs. the World

It is perhaps not an uncommon reaction to despair that one would want to simply withdraw from the world and into oneself. Feeling in such a mood myself, it is interesting to come across a passage about Hegel's struggle to fight off such anti-social inclinations.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

To take permanent refuge in an inner world, [Hegel] maintained, was to miss the chance of coming fully to life; he wanted to be one of those who could ‘transcend the negative quality of the existing world to find themselves in it’. In his essay on the German constitution, drawing a contrast between egocentric living and living angled towards the common good, he equates madness with isolation: ‘Once a man’s social instincts are dislocated, and he is obliged to throw himself into interests peculiarly his own, his nature becomes so deeply perverted that his energy is concentrated on refusing to conform.’

-- Ronald Hayman, “Nietzsche: A Critical Life”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Well, a lot of people are simply broken, and there is no putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. It happens. A lot.