Idealismo, nobleza del alma – Fragmentos del pensamiento de Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, I – Idealismo: La felicidad posible en esta tierra

In This Chapter

When speaking of disinterest, people generally have in mind financial selflessness. For example, someone is praised for being a selfless leader because he does not do what he does to make money. This is an excellent quality, especially nowadays! However, as Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira expounds in this chapter, disinterest should extend to all fields, such as when being applauded, dealing with our circle of friends, and even our relationship with God.

The Word ‘Ideal,’ a Music

Idealism! The rewards, trials and glories of idealism!

Words, my dear friends,[i] are gradually transformed over generations. They sometimes mean one thing but take on a slightly different symbolism from the musical standpoint.

They steer away from their first meaning, assume another, still another, and transform themselves.

This is what happens with the words ideal and idealism. Even younger generations perceive that the word ideal has a certain resonance and luminosity, and produces a harmonious and almost ‘visual’ sound that gives it a special meaning.

The way of saying ‘ideal’ almost obliges one to sing it! It is a word that somehow forces the least poetic of men to say, like in a canticle: ‘The ideal!’

When one says, ‘so and so has an ideal,’ it is not understood as a vile desire for personal gain. For example, you cannot say in the full and proper sense of the word that someone’s ideal is to become very rich. To become very rich is a goal, an objective, an ambition, but not an ideal.

You can say: “So and so is an ambitious person; he wants to do great things.” In a sense, this statement may even be a compliment because to want to do great things, even on a small scale, is already something. But it is not an ideal.

Friends are Friends, Business is Business…

Imagine that a friend of mine tells me:

“I like you a lot! I think you’re a remarkable person.”

A little later, I ask him:

“I would need a small favor from you.”

“Oh, no way! That’s something else. Friends are friends, business is business.”

 So, I conclude that either his friendship for me leads him to dedicate himself to me, or it is no friendship.

There is a saying by a classical Roman author that makes an interesting play of words: “Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur” – You discern a true friend in uncertain times. This is entirely true.