Reviews for Tears and Saints

The average rating for Tears and Saints based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-01-25 00:00:00 Andrew Nagy Dangerous Failures As I have mentioned elsewhere, mystics are the bad boys (actually, more likely girls) of religion ( ). They ignore established theology, berate spiritual authority, and prefer their own personal rituals to public displays. Mystics are therefore often considered heretical and banished to the margins of organised religion. They are wilful failures, socially and politically. And, according to Cioran, that is precisely how they achieve their goal: power. Christian mystics are especially intrigued by power. Think about it: Jesus's dictum that "the last shall be first" is a Machiavellian political instruction for how to beat the system. By withdrawing from the race for power, one is rewarded with... Power! It takes an immense physical as well as mental and spiritual effort to achieve an maintain the required level of mystical fanaticism. But the payoff is equally immense: existence detached from that which is most desired, and power over it. For Teresa of Avila what was most desired was sex. For Catherine of Siena it was authority over men. For Ignatius Loyola it was authority period. For Bernard of Clairvaux it was the impulse toward violence. Each of these desires is satisfied by being denied. All are symbols of the divine that are rejected as not-God in the tradition of mystical negative theology. The ultimate failure of the denial is the achievement actually sought, the union with that which is most desired. That is to say, mystics are consumed by their own enthusiasm (literally en theos , their 'being in God'). This is the source of their strength, of their authority, of the influence of their commands. They are without shame in their exercise of their divinely mandated mission to save the world through their own failure. They have nothing to gain but also nothing to lose. There is nothing more to be achieved; and everything has already been lost. They are free. "Detachment is a negation of both life and death. Whoever has overcome his fear of death has also triumphed over life. For life is nothing but another word for fear." And, somewhat annoyingly, they flaunt that freedom to the rest of us. "The world of saints is a heavenly poison that grows ever more virulent as our loneliness increases. They have corrupted us by providing a model that shows suffering attaining its goal." What they give us is not a path to paradise but "a graveyard of happiness." The only defence against this poison, in light of mystical "metaphysical indiscretions," is despair. "The Christian demon. Has woven its nest in money, in sexuality, in love. It has caused humanity so much trouble, that from now on superficiality should undoubtedly be looked upon as a virtue." I'm determined to maintain my own superficiality at all costs.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-10-22 00:00:00 enrico ghelli Dacă -religios fiind- citești "Lacrimi și sfinți" și nu devii sceptic, înseamnă că n-ai înțeles nimic! Întotdeauna m-am întrebat asupra orientării spirituale a lui Cioran, căutând detalii în opera sa (subiectivă în fiecare virgulă!!!) și am ajuns la concluzia lui Ţuțea: "Cioran este (DOAR) certat cu Dumnezeu!"