"You have to be very careful of people who are right. For example, they have been struck by great injustice, by a great perfidy: they have robbed the fruits of their labour, their liberty, killed their beloved, and all this has been done unjustly by greedy or mean or cruel men. These men are right, and they walk in the world like a flaming torch, carrying around a red-hot fire of darkness, their undoubted righteousness. And they want compensation, or do they want revenge, and sometimes they themselves don't know exactly. What they want? - if only something should happen... These wretches are very dangerous because they are right; all men are dangerous who are right and knows it.
In practice, coexistence can only be achieved with people who are guilty, people who have put the wrong wood on the fire in one way or another, and they know it. These are the people with whom societies can be run. The offended, and those who are necessarily right, are worse than the people with a single book. Because they have only one truth, and they want the whole world to serve that one truth, the truth of their undeserved suffering. They cannot be approached with intellectual and emotional arguments at all. They must wait until time has sucked the first poison of pain from their souls. Then they will calm down. And one day they will realise that they, the unjustly persecuted and tortured, are responsible for what happened. Everyone is responsible for what happens to them. Then comfort them; not before.
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Author
Márai SándorAll Translations
All Translations
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You have to be very careful of people who are right. For example, they have been struck by great injustice, by a great perfidy: they have robbed the fruits of their labour, their liberty, killed their beloved, and all this has been done unjustly by greedy or mean or cruel men. These men are right, and they walk in the world like a flaming torch, carrying around a red-hot fire of darkness, their undoubted righteousness. And they want compensation, or do they want revenge, and sometimes they themselves don't know exactly. What they want? - if only something should happen... These wretches are very dangerous because they are right; all men are dangerous who are right and knows it.
In practice, coexistence can only be achieved with people who are guilty, people who have put the wrong wood on the fire in one way or another, and they know it. These are the people with whom societies can be run. The offended, and those who are necessarily right, are worse than the people with a single book. Because they have only one truth, and they want the whole world to serve that one truth, the truth of their undeserved suffering. They cannot be approached with intellectual and emotional arguments at all. They must wait until time has sucked the first poison of pain from their souls. Then they will calm down. And one day they will realise that they, the unjustly persecuted and tortured, are responsible for what happened. Everyone is responsible for what happens to them. Then comfort them; not before.
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Nagyon kell vigyázni azokra az emberekre, akiknek igazuk van. Például, nagy méltánytalanság, galádság sújtotta őket: elrabolták munkájuk gyümölcsét, szabadságukat, megölték kedvesüket, s mindezt jogtalanul cselekedték mohó, vagy aljas vagy kegyetlen emberek. Ezeknek az embereknek igazuk van, s úgy járnak a világban, mint a lángoló fáklya, vörhenyes vésztüzet hordoznak körül, a maguk kétségtelen igazságát. S kárpótlást akarnak, vagy bosszút akarnak, s néha maguk sem tudják, mit is akarnak? – csak történjen valami... Ezek a szerencsétlenek nagyon veszélyesek, mert igazuk van; minden ember veszélyes, akinek igaza van és tudja ezt.
A gyakorlatban csak a bűntudatos emberekkel lehet megvalósítani az együttélést, azokkal, akik rossz fát is tettek a tűzre, így vagy úgy, s ezt tudják. Ezekkel lehet működtetni a társadalmakat. A megsértettek, s azok, akiknek feltétlenül igazuk van, rosszabbak, mint az egykönyvű emberek. Mert ezeknek csak egy igazságuk van, s azt akarják, hogy az egész világ ezt az egyetlen igazságot, az ő méltatlan szenvedéseik igazságát szolgálja. Értelmi és érzelmi érvekkel egyáltalán nem lehet közeledni hozzájuk. Meg kell várni, amíg az idő kiszívja lelkükből az első fájdalom kígyómérgét. Akkor megnyugosznak. S egy napon ráeszmélnek, hogy ők, az igaztalanul üldözöttek és megkínzottak, igen, ők is felelősek mindazért, ami történt. Mindenki felelős azért, ami történik vele. Akkor vigasztald őket; ne előbb.
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Trebuie să fii foarte atent la oamenii care au dreptate. De exemplu, ei au fost nedreptățiți de o mare nedreptate, de o mare fățărnicie: li s-au furat roadele muncii, libertatea, și le-au ucis persoana iubită, și toate acestea au fost făcute pe nedrept de oameni lacomi sau răi sau cruzi. Acești oameni au dreptate și merg în lume ca o torță aprinsă, purtând în jurul lor un foc roșu aprins în întuneric, dreptatea lor incontestabilă. Și vor despăgubiri sau vor răzbunare, iar uneori nici măcar ei nu știu. Ce vor? - dacă s-ar întâmplă ceva... Acești nenorociți sunt foarte periculoși pentru că au dreptate; sunt periculoși toți oamenii care au dreptate și o știu.
În practică, coexistența se poate realiza doar cu oameni vinovați, oameni care au pus într-un fel sau altul lemnele greșite pe foc și care știu asta. Aceștia sunt oamenii cu care pot fi conduse societățile. Cei ofensați, și cei care au neapărat dreptate, sunt mai răi decât oamenii cu o singură carte. Pentru că ei au un singur adevăr și vor ca întreaga lume să servească acel adevăr unic, adevărul suferinței lor nemeritate. Ei nu pot fi abordați deloc cu argumente intelectuale și emoționale. Ei trebuie să aștepte până când timpul va suge din sufletele lor prima otravă a durerii. Apoi se vor calma. Și într-o zi vor realiza că ei, cei persecutați și torturați pe nedrept, sunt responsabili pentru ceea ce s-a întâmplat. Fiecare este responsabil pentru ceea ce i se întâmplă. Atunci mângâiați-i; nu înainte.
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