For Those Who Are Called To Live The Life Of The Mind.

For those who are called to live the life of the mind. Simply for its own sake or to make their living from it. It is also known as the Intellectual Life. It is the life of the Intellect — the Intellect being the faculty of Understanding. The object of the Intellect is Truth. The Intellect desires to know the Truth. The bulk of your time will be to think, to ponder, to reason, and to penetrate Truth.

It is a noble life. A life that begins with a state of ecstasy. What a joy to relish Truth! But a lot of work must be done to relish, to enjoy this life. How can you enjoy this life, when you are harassed by your emotions, having no control over them; when you are lifted up by joy and brought down by sorrow, furious by anger, weakened by pleasures, and shrunken by fear? You should aim for the evenness of the soul, where your intellect is in control of your emotions, and your intellect is subject to Truth.

You should also aim for a state of recollection, of solitude, of silence, so that Truth may easily come to you, infusing light into your mind. And you may easily see the footsteps of Truth impressed in Nature; then Nature will be an open book from which you can see Truth.

Then your work, the acts of your intellect will be original, flowing from the thoughts of a living thinking mind; then you will develop your style — the stamp of your original thought.

Then you will produce deep work when you are quietly submerged by Truth; when the sponge of your mind absorbs Truth to the full.

Your deep work begins with an ecstasy of mind. But Ardor is not sufficient. You will need Fortitude. What a sad and deplorable thing to see a beautiful but unfinished work for want of Fortitude! You began your work well, what hindered you from finishing it? Let the world fall to pieces, let time fly, let the emotions rage, let the chariots of Aminadab wail, honor your vocation, and finish your work! Give to the world what it truly demands from you as a channel, a conveyor, a dispenser of Truth.

The world craves for the intellectual worthy of that name; the intellectual, truly subject to Truth. Be a true Intellectual. For Truth is gold to the mind, and Leonardo Da Vinci says that ‘the noblest kind of pleasure is the joy of understanding’. The joy of grasping the Truth.