Jiddu Krishnamurti, a speaker and writer on philosophical
and spiritual subjects, once claimed that the inner always overcomes the outer.
He posed that outward beauty can never last, for it is marred if there is no
inward delight and joy. He stated that we can cultivate the outer, paying very
little attention to the thing inside the skin; nonetheless, it is the inner
that always overcomes the outer. (retrieved from http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/krishnamurti-teachings/view-daily-quote/20120831.php?t=Beauty)
This idea becomes, seemingly, evident when reading The Merchant
of Venice. We know that Portia’s father had established that she was to be
chosen by one who would rightly love. As a result, Bassanio has to choose the
right casket, and by doing so, prove that his love is real. Therefore, unlike
the other suitors, Bassanio is not blinded by appearances. In fact, he states
that the world is deceived with ornaments, and it is probably that idea that leads
him not to choose the golden or silver casket, but the plead one. Consequently,
he finds the portrait of Portia and the key to her.
Apparently, what Krishnamurti poses is true; however, we
cannot forget that through the play, Shakespeare is making the audience
question what happens in “the real world.” Therefore, he might be saying that
in the real world the inner does not always overcome the outer. By reading the
Scpritures, we find in the Book of James a strong criticism against the sin of
partiality, for human beings tend to favor someone with golden rings and fine
clothing over someone poor and in shabby clothes, which seems to be a rather “natural”
attitude.
Human beings tend to believe what they see, yet what we see
may not necessarily be what we believe it is, because our eyes may be playing
some tricks on us.
Are the lines in between parallel to each other?
If we believe that the inner always overcome the outer, we
still have to question whether what’s inside is good or bad. Therefore, it should be asked about Portia
whether she is the obedient daughter and the good wife devoted to his husband, or
if she is a rather controlling and merciless person. Is it not true that “it is
the worm inside the apple that destroys the freshness of the apple?” (Krishnamurti).
Does the inner always overcome the outer? Do we believe
that, only for justifying who we are with? Can we trust what we see? How do we
know whether something is real or not? If human beings wear masks all the time,
can they be trusted? Perhaps, after centuries we still need to quote Socrates
and say “I only know that I know nothing."
Thanks for reading!
Hope y’all have a good one =)
Bibliography
We choose to wear masks to fit in, to live harmoniously. We had agreed to trust in the appareance, otherwise we wouldn't wear the kind of clothes that we wear...because we need to project an image. It is easier to build an identity through the way we look and people will know how we are; on the contrast, it will require more time to figurare out what is inside of someone's mind if we hadn't decide these "appareance patterns"..so, yes, it is easy to trick people, just because we know the clue to do it: built an appearance.
ResponderEliminarNeverthless, eventually we will be tired of it, and the truth will be revelead, our inner will prevail...but what will be that inner, if someone is almost as an onion?