Wilde Things
| by Fingal Wilde
Lessons from the 17 Century
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Mark Twain once said that the only guy who knew he was not committing plagiarism was Adam. So true, because
even though you may think that what you are writing is totally and wholly original, who knows what has been lurking
in the subconscious mind. This came to mind the other day when I was watching an advertisement which shows a
young girl being tempted with a marshmallow, with the promise of more to come if she manages to not eat the one
in front of her for fifteen minutes.
T
his advertisement is premised on a
study done by psychologists, which
shows that young children who
show self-restraint at an early age, become
successful adults.
But I beheld for a while, and he lavished
all away, and had nothing left him
but rags. Then said Christian to the
Interpreter, Expound the matter more
fully to me.
But something was nagging me,
because I knew that I had read
something similar a long, long time
ago. And then I remembered. I had
read it in 1967, when I was pimply
and naïve 15 year old.
with them, than are all the Divine
testimonies of the good of the world
to come. But as thou sawest that he
had quickly lavished all away, and had
presently left him nothing but rags, so
will it be with all such men at the
end of this world.”
A lot of evangelising in this,
but as I reread this I realised
that Bunyan could also have
been describing our current
government.
The book was The Pilgrim’s
Progress by John Bunyan, a
Christian allegory and the story of a
man’s journey to the Celestial City,
written in 1676 when Bunyan was
doing his second stint in prison for
upsetting the religious sensitivities
of Charles II of England.
Of course, even though I can
understand most things, I am
still grappling with some of
Bunyan’s allegorisms.
For example, on page 282 of the
Pilgrim’s Progress you will find
this jewel: “They had them also
to a place where they saw one
Fool, and one Want-wit, washing
of an Ethiopian, with intention to
make him white; but the more
they washed the blacker he was.
They then asked the Shepherds
what that should mean.
This book was given to me as a
Sunday School prize, and being a
voracious reader, I consumed the
book within a matter of days, and
then promptly forgot about all its
lessons.
Until I saw that advertisement,
which set my memory cells going,
and I fished out the book and
at the ripe old age of 62 years, I
reread the book, now with worldlywise eyes.
And what a revelation this book
is, as it covers the full gamut of
man’s deceit and avarice. But it is also a
guide as to how one should lead one’s life,
and if you follow this advice, you can look
forward to a much higher reward.
But back to the plagiaristic idea that
patience has its rewards. I quote from the
book (pages 39 to 40): “Then I saw that one
came to Passion, and brought him a bag of
treasure, and poured it down at his feet; the
which he took up and rejoiced therein, and
withal laughed Patience to scorn.
So they told them, saying, Thus
shall it be with the vile person;
all means used to get such
a one a good name, shall in
conclusion tend but to make him
more abominable.”
So he said, These two lads are figures;
Passion of the men of this world, and
Patience of the men of that which is to
come: for as here thou seest, Passion will
have all now, this year, that is to say, in this
world; so are the men of this world; they
must have all their good things now; they
cannot stay till next year, that is, until the
next world, for their portion of good.
That proverb, A bird in the hand is worth
two in the bush, is of more authority
| words in action
52
Wow, is this describing the
parliamentary whitewash on Nkandla?
I can also think of at least six or seven
other interpretations, but I do believe
Bunyan’s prescience was uncanny.
Jacob Zuma should read
this book, but alas he does
not read.
december 2014 / January 2015