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READING PEGUY
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“Out of ignorance and a sense of duty most decent people are liable to turn into criminals.”
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Charles Péguy (1873-1914) is closer to my heart than any other writer you care to mention. Unlike Toynbee and Sartre, he is as accessible to the ordinary reader as, say, Chekhov. Like Chekhov, he was an honest man and he said what he thought. Organized religions have their saints. Literature does not. If it did, I would name Peggy as one of the greatest.
Has he been translated into Armenian? I don't know. I doubt it. I don't think so. Probably because he was quintessentially un-Armenian. We are not brought up to appreciate honesty and straight talk. After centuries of subservience to brutal regimes, we have learned to be cautious and calculating in our speech – a diplomatic way of saying, we are born liars.
Enough by way of introduction and warning. Let Peggy speak for himself:
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“It is vulgar to want to be right and still more so to want to be in the right against someone else.”
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“The man who doesn't bawl out the truth when he knows the truth becomes the accomplice of liars.”
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“When people become established they become intelligent.”
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“Let them leave us to our work. But if they disturb us, then we shall see to it that we shall not have been uselessly interrupted.”
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“The life of the decent man must in some ways be one of continual apostasy; he must continually be a renegade and in this sense his life is one continual unfaithfulness.”
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“Destitution is not a pumice stone by which people can be polished and made to shine. If it were it would be worth preserving. Destitution weakens people and thereby makes them incapable of getting out of it. Destitution not only makes people unhappy, which is a serious matter, it makes them bad, ugly and weak, which is also a serious matter.”
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“Tyranny is always better organized than freedom.”
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“One does not have the right to betray even a traitor. Traitors must be fought and not betrayed.”
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“What is most contrary to salvation is not sin but habit.”
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“Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.”
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Once, I remember, when I said as much to one of our Panchoonies who headed one of our major charity organizations, he explained: “If we assume a critical stance towards the regime in Yerevan, we will not be allowed to help the people.” To which I could only say: “You mean, they would allow the people to starve? If you know them to be so evil, why legitimize them with your support?” At this point he hung up on me and thus I acquired still another enemy in high places.
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**************************************
“Out of ignorance and a sense of duty most decent people are liable to turn into criminals.”
*
Charles Péguy (1873-1914) is closer to my heart than any other writer you care to mention. Unlike Toynbee and Sartre, he is as accessible to the ordinary reader as, say, Chekhov. Like Chekhov, he was an honest man and he said what he thought. Organized religions have their saints. Literature does not. If it did, I would name Peggy as one of the greatest.
Has he been translated into Armenian? I don't know. I doubt it. I don't think so. Probably because he was quintessentially un-Armenian. We are not brought up to appreciate honesty and straight talk. After centuries of subservience to brutal regimes, we have learned to be cautious and calculating in our speech – a diplomatic way of saying, we are born liars.
Enough by way of introduction and warning. Let Peggy speak for himself:
*
“It is vulgar to want to be right and still more so to want to be in the right against someone else.”
*
“The man who doesn't bawl out the truth when he knows the truth becomes the accomplice of liars.”
*
“When people become established they become intelligent.”
*
“Let them leave us to our work. But if they disturb us, then we shall see to it that we shall not have been uselessly interrupted.”
*
“The life of the decent man must in some ways be one of continual apostasy; he must continually be a renegade and in this sense his life is one continual unfaithfulness.”
*
“Destitution is not a pumice stone by which people can be polished and made to shine. If it were it would be worth preserving. Destitution weakens people and thereby makes them incapable of getting out of it. Destitution not only makes people unhappy, which is a serious matter, it makes them bad, ugly and weak, which is also a serious matter.”
*
“Tyranny is always better organized than freedom.”
*
“One does not have the right to betray even a traitor. Traitors must be fought and not betrayed.”
*
“What is most contrary to salvation is not sin but habit.”
*
“Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.”
*
Once, I remember, when I said as much to one of our Panchoonies who headed one of our major charity organizations, he explained: “If we assume a critical stance towards the regime in Yerevan, we will not be allowed to help the people.” To which I could only say: “You mean, they would allow the people to starve? If you know them to be so evil, why legitimize them with your support?” At this point he hung up on me and thus I acquired still another enemy in high places.
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