"The Glass Bead Game" Reading Notes#
Author: Hermann Hesse
Reading Duration: 4 hours
These are the notes and excerpts I recorded while reading "The Glass Bead Game" on WeChat Reading.
Translator's Preface#
A Platonic dream, it is not an eternally valid ideal goal, but merely a possibility that makes oneself relative to the known world.
A correct and true truth must necessarily allow for inversion. Whatever is real, its opposite must also be real. Because every truth is a brief observation of the world from a specific point, and every point exists in relation to another point.
A Platonic dream, it is not an eternally valid ideal goal, but merely a possibility that makes oneself relative to the known world.
A correct and true truth must necessarily allow for inversion. Whatever is real, its opposite must also be real. Because every truth is a brief observation of the world from a specific point, and every point exists in relation to another point.
Introduction - An Attempt to Explain the Glass Bead Game and Its History#
We do not agree with those traitors who, driven by desire and greed, disrupt order; we only cherish those who are dedicated, for they are the truly tragic figures.
The mind is formed by the gathering of potential possibilities, in order to measure all things by potentiality; it is an absolute necessity, used to measure all things in a state of unity, harmony, and simplicity, just as God does. It is also a necessity of connection, used to measure all things in the unique individuality of related matters; finally, it can also limit this potentiality, in order to measure all related matters in existence. Moreover, the mind can also symbolically measure through comparative forms, just as it can equate them with other things through numbers and geometric figures.
History is history, regardless of whether it is correct, whether it perhaps should not have happened, and regardless of whether we wish to acknowledge its "meaning," everything is unchangeable.
To want to overthrow the outdated and decayed, to want to reconstruct the world and its morals through politics and war, only culture itself must first possess the true ability for self-examination and the ability to incorporate a new cosmic order.
As Pliny the Elder stated: "This late culture - like the late culture of ancient Greek and Roman culture, the Greek culture of the time of Alexander - accepts its fate with a humble yet proud attitude."
People always take a long time to awaken to the realization that all the surface of civilization, all technology, industry, commerce, etc., must also have spiritual morality and integrity.
We do not agree with those traitors who, driven by desire and greed, disrupt order; we only cherish those who are dedicated, for they are the truly tragic figures.
The mind is formed by the gathering of potential possibilities, in order to measure all things by potentiality; it is an absolute necessity, used to measure all things in a state of unity, harmony, and simplicity, just as God does. It is also a necessity of connection, used to measure all things in the unique individuality of related matters; finally, it can also limit this potentiality, in order to measure all related matters in existence. Moreover, the mind can also symbolically measure through comparative forms, just as it can equate them with other things through numbers and geometric figures.
History is history, regardless of whether it is correct, whether it perhaps should not have happened, and regardless of whether we wish to acknowledge its "meaning," everything is unchangeable.
To want to overthrow the outdated and decayed, to want to reconstruct the world and its morals through politics and war, only culture itself must first possess the true ability for self-examination and the ability to incorporate a new cosmic order.
As Pliny the Elder stated: "This late culture - like the late culture of ancient Greek and Roman culture, the Greek culture of the time of Alexander - accepts its fate with a humble yet proud attitude."
People always take a long time to awaken to the realization that all the surface of civilization, all technology, industry, commerce, etc., must also have spiritual morality and integrity.
Call to Action#
And in the last days before he was to leave school, because he had transcended this beloved hometown, because he had to abandon a way of life that no longer suited him, and because he had spent many extremely joyful and brilliant moments in this brief time, the farewell became a tremendous torment, an unbearable pressure and pain, because everything in the world had left him, and he could not determine whether he himself had abandoned everything, whether he should bear guilt for leaving such a lovely and familiar world, due to his ambition, vanity, arrogance, infidelity, and lack of love.
Placing too much expectation, or perhaps the opposite. Undoubtedly, the Glass Bead Game also has its dangers. But we love it precisely because it is dangerous; only the weak are sent away on risk-free paths. But you must always remember what I often tell you: our goal is to correctly understand the contradictions and oppositions, first of course to see them as contradictions, but then to view them as relative poles of a unified whole. This is also the characteristic of the Glass Bead Game. Those with artistic talent love the Glass Bead Game because they can gain opportunities for improvisational imagination from it.
Being enthusiastic about everything and wanting to do everything well requires a great deal of spiritual strength, courage, and passion; a little less will not do. What you call passion is not actually spiritual strength, but the power generated by the friction between the soul and the external world. Wherever your so-called passion dominates, it is less about the existence of a large number of desires and ambitions, and more about directing them toward the wrong goal of self-isolation, thus forming a tense and oppressive atmosphere of the times. At the same time, those who strive with all their might toward the center, those who strive toward true existence and the realm of perfection, appear much calmer than the passionate ones, because people do not always see their burning flames. For example, he will never shout loudly in a debate, nor will he wave his arms. But I can assure you, he is fervent and is burning!
Truth is gained through experience; truth cannot be taught. Joseph K. Let yourself understand in the struggle; I might as well say it has already begun.
And in the last days before he was to leave school, because he had transcended this beloved hometown, because he had to abandon a way of life that no longer suited him, and because he had spent many extremely joyful and brilliant moments in this brief time, the farewell became a tremendous torment, an unbearable pressure and pain, because everything in the world had left him, and he could not determine whether he himself had abandoned everything, whether he should bear guilt for leaving such a lovely and familiar world, due to his ambition, vanity, arrogance, infidelity, and lack of love.
Placing too much expectation, or perhaps the opposite. Undoubtedly, the Glass Bead Game also has its dangers. But we love it precisely because it is dangerous; only the weak are sent away on risk-free paths. But you must always remember what I often tell you: our goal is to correctly understand the contradictions and oppositions, first of course to see them as contradictions, but then to view them as relative poles of a unified whole. This is also the characteristic of the Glass Bead Game. Those with artistic talent love the Glass Bead Game because they can gain opportunities for improvisational imagination from it.
Being enthusiastic about everything and wanting to do everything well requires a great deal of spiritual strength, courage, and passion; a little less will not do. What you call passion is not actually spiritual strength, but the power generated by the friction between the soul and the external world. Wherever your so-called passion dominates, it is less about the existence of a large number of desires and ambitions, and more about directing them toward the wrong goal of self-isolation, thus forming a tense and oppressive atmosphere of the times. At the same time, those who strive with all their might toward the center, those who strive toward true existence and the realm of perfection, appear much calmer than the passionate ones, because people do not always see their burning flames. For example, he will never shout loudly in a debate, nor will he wave his arms. But I can assure you, he is fervent and is burning!
Truth is gained through experience; truth cannot be taught. Joseph K. Let yourself understand in the struggle; I might as well say it has already begun.
Waltz#
The history of the development of music cannot be understood merely through any abstract reasoning or historical works on the development of its style. For example, whether we can recognize the periods of decline in music, if we cannot see that every decline is due to sensory and quantitative factors overwhelming spiritual factors, we will certainly not be able to enter the field.
For instance, the more eagerly a task attracts us, sometimes exciting us and sometimes exhausting and oppressing us, the more easily we overlook this source, just as people often easily forget to take care of their bodies when they are engrossed in some spiritual work. Those truly great individuals in history either deeply understand the path of meditation or unconsciously grasp the realm that meditation leads to. As for others, even those who are exceptionally talented and energetic, the final result is always failure and collapse, because their self-important work or ambitions become the masters, causing them to lose the ability to escape the present chaos and maintain distance to achieve their goals.
The history of the development of music cannot be understood merely through any abstract reasoning or historical works on the development of its style. For example, whether we can recognize the periods of decline in music, if we cannot see that every decline is due to sensory and quantitative factors overwhelming spiritual factors, we will certainly not be able to enter the field.
For instance, the more eagerly a task attracts us, sometimes exciting us and sometimes exhausting and oppressing us, the more easily we overlook this source, just as people often easily forget to take care of their bodies when they are engrossed in some spiritual work. Those truly great individuals in history either deeply understand the path of meditation or unconsciously grasp the realm that meditation leads to. As for others, even those who are exceptionally talented and energetic, the final result is always failure and collapse, because their self-important work or ambitions become the masters, causing them to lose the ability to escape the present chaos and maintain distance to achieve their goals.
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