The Screwtape Letters by Lewis, C S (z-lib.org).epub

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endured no longer at the very moment when it is ending, or when they think it isending. In this, as in the problem of cowardice, the thing to avoid is the totalcommitment. Whatever he says, let his inner resolution be not to bear whatevercomes to him, but to bear it “for a reasonable period”—and let the reasonableperiod be shorter than the trial is likely to last. It need not be much shorter; inattacks on patience, chastity, and fortitude, the fun is to make the man yield justwhen (had he but known it) relief was almost in sight.I do not know whether he is likely to meet the girl under conditions of strainor not. If he does, make full use of the fact that up to a certain point, fatiguemakes women talk more and men talk less. Much secret resentment, evenbetween lovers, can be raised from this.Probably the scenes he is now witnessing will not provide material for anintellectual attack on his faith—your previous failures have put that out of yourpower. But there is a sort of attack on the emotions which can still be tried. Itturns on making him feel, when first he sees human remains plastered on a wall,that this is “what the world is really like” and that all his religion has been afantasy. You willnotice that we have got them completely fogged about the meaning of theword “real”'. They tell each other, of some great spiritual experience, “All thatreally happened was that you heard some music in a lighted building”; here“Real” means the bare physical facts, separated from the other elements in theexperience they actually had. On the other hand, they will also say “It's all verywell discussing that high dive as you sit here in an armchair, but wait till you getup there and see what it's really like”: here “real” is being used in the oppositesense to mean, not the physical facts (which they know already while discussingthe matter in armchairs) but the emotional effect those facts will have on ahuman consciousness. Either application of the word could be defended; but ourbusiness is to keep the two going at once so that the emotional value of the word“real” can be placed now on one side of the account, now on the other, as ithappens to suit us. The general rule which we have now pretty well establishedamong them is that in all experiences which can make them happier or betteronly the physical facts are “Real” while the spiritual elements are “subjective”;in all experiences which can discourage or corrupt them the spiritual elementsare the main reality and to ignore them is to be an escapist. Thus in birth theblood and pain are “real”, the rejoicing a mere subjective point of view; in death,the terror and ugliness reveal what death “really means”. The hatefulness of ahated person is “real”—in hatred you see men as they are, you are disillusioned;but the loveliness of a loved person is merely a subjective haze concealing a“real” core of sexual appetite or economic association. Wars and poverty are
“really” horrible; peace and plenty are mere physical facts about which menhappen to have certain sentiments. The creatures are always accusing oneanother of wanting “to cat the cake and have it”; but thanks to our labours theyare more often in the predicament of paying for the cake and not eating it. Yourpatient, properly handled, will have no difficulty in regarding his emotion at thesight of human entrails as a revelation of Reality and his emotion at the sight ofhappy children or fair weather as mere sentiment,Your affectionate uncleSCREWTAPE
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The Screwtape Letters
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MAGDALEN COLLEGEJuly 5, 1941
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at his elbow in a moment. Before I
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like. Keep everything hazy in his m
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the imagined mother will ever flow
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meant to ask Him for charity, let t
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The Screwtape LettersMY DEAR WORMWO
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The Screwtape LettersVIMY DEAR WORM
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The Screwtape LettersVIIMY DEAR WOR
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The Screwtape LettersVIIIMY DEAR WO
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The Screwtape LettersIXMY DEAR WORM
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Your affectionate uncleSCREWTAPE
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I see much (indeed more than I like
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gives rise to many incongruities: t
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are over. A few weeks ago you had t
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The Screwtape LettersXIIIMY DEAR WO
Page 34 and 35: ever to act, and, in the long run,
Page 36 and 37: threatens to become a virtue. By th
Page 38 and 39: The Screwtape LettersXVMY DEAR WORM
Page 40 and 41: natural phenomenon is really in our
Page 42 and 43: conduct of the services is also adm
Page 44 and 45: The Screwtape LettersXVIIMY DEAR WO
Page 46 and 47: Your affectionate uncleSCREWTAPE
Page 48 and 49: His real motive for fixing on sex a
Page 50 and 51: The Screwtape LettersXIXMY DEAR WOR
Page 52 and 53: war and peace, it is, from the poin
Page 54 and 55: the age of the waltz, and we now te
Page 56 and 57: The Screwtape LettersXXIMY DEAR WOR
Page 58 and 59: on the more realistic and dynamic g
Page 60 and 61: disadvantages. Nothing is naturally
Page 62 and 63: The Screwtape LettersXXIIIMY DEAR W
Page 64 and 65: used as a convenience. Men or natio
Page 66 and 67: dream how much of his conversation,
Page 68 and 69: The Screwtape LettersXXVMY DEAR WOR
Page 70 and 71: have the better chance to slip in a
Page 72 and 73: are under the double blindness of m
Page 74 and 75: The Screwtape LettersXXVIIMY DEAR W
Page 76 and 77: been for the last ten years, and wh
Page 78 and 79: prosperity or middle-aged adversity
Page 80 and 81: The Screwtape LettersXXIXMY DEAR WO
Page 82 and 83: Enemy and courage the Enemy supplie
Page 86 and 87: The Screwtape LettersXXXIMY DEAR, M
Page 88: tempters like yourself the greatest
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