This is my first new post in quite some time here; a question of great importance seems to have arisen from my internal ramblings. After reading Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot” I came to question how one would react to such an individual’s appearance in our own society. A Christ-like altruistic individual, making his way into our life, a life full of cynicism and skepticism. Would a being of pure good be recognized or chastised? What would you all believe to be people’s reaction not only from a societal perspective but also that of an individual?
Altruism isn’t always good. But it would probably be viewed that way in this society because even our atheists haven’t shaken off the specter of the negative opinion of selfishness or the primacy of “charity and compassion” imbued in our society by our Christian heritage. With this one-sided idealistic and erroneous view of reality and what is termed “morality”, no wonder that cynicism and skepticism spring up as defense mechanisms
“The Idiot” remains one of my all-time favorite books. It presents philosophical and psychological questions about whether an absolute certainty in religion, philosophy, etc., can survive in a world of diversity and change. It raises questions involving what beliefs one should conserve and about social vs personal evaluations of self-worth. As I remember, Mishkin went mad; but it’s been a long time since I’ve read the book.
Well, exactly which society are you talking about?
Small-town America? South Central L.A.? Wall Street? A southern megachurch community? Ivy League academia?
Broadly speaking, I think any society would first look upon such a “perfectly good” person with a certain amount of skepticism, especially if they were entering said society as an outsider. Whether or not that person is ultimately accepted for who they are depends on the society that they are subjected to. For the prince, it was the upper crust of Russian society at the time, and it didn’t turn out so well.
As for on an individual level, there is the same problem, amplified. What sort of individuals?
Also the ones preaching on the streets might be people with an interesting message and a good heart. The ones not being conscious of certain living rules will not be heared or taken seriously.