How to be happy though human / by W. Béran Wolfe.
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strategy is usually an admission of failure to solve the other two problems correctly. The problem of social “ form ” is one of the easiest to solve. Any fool can master the ¥ contents of a book of etiquette with 3. little effort : it takes a wise man to build a bridge, write a sonata, or raise a family of courageous children. This type of social self-glorification belongs to the numerous techniques of lying with the truth. Politeness, good manners, social grace, and social ease are among the most valuable devices for social adjustment. To magnify these tools into ends is to annihilate the process of living, and rob the very social graces of their value. Good manners are the lubricating oil that allows the wheels of social intercourse to revolve smoothly. No machine, not even the social machine of our age, will move and work on lubricating oil alone. Adjustment is made of sterner stuff than the precious distillations of etiquette. Of Sexual Virtuosity A pattern commonly found in a society which has made sex a special arena of life is that in which the sexual sector bears the brunt of attack, and the social and work sectors are neglected. The reason for the existence of such a type of attack is deeply rooted in history. Just because the sexual sector is not essential to the continuation of individual life, it is chosen as a side-show of life by many men and women who are afraid to make actual advances on the other two fronts. Our civilization is inclined to overvalue and exaggerate the importance of sexual virtuosity. To many human beings, being human means solely the ability to carry out sexual relations with flair and apparent ease. Virility ” in sex, that is, a “ plus ” of potency in sexual relations, is confused with true virility. Many women see in sexual success the sole path toward significance in life. Many adolescent spirits, no matter what their age, go searching for sexual conquests in their attempt to be “ every inch a man ”. Every woman appears a challenge to their virility. Sexual congress, in reality the highest