Alphonse:
- In German the meaning of the name Alphonse is: Ready for a fight.
- Common in Spain since the 7th century. Famous bearer: Gangster Al Capone's name was Alphonse.
Aphorism:
- a pithy observation which contains a general truth.
"the old aphorism ‘the child is father to the man’"- concise statement of a scientific principle, typically by a classical author.
"the opening sentence of the first aphorism of Hippocrates"
Alphonse's story may well be the most unusual in my collection. Some would certainly think so. Alphonse's response to his unusual story, to his difficult destiny, was to attempt to distill some wisdom from it. He did this by writing and refining aphorisms in a notebook that he always carried with him. This he said became his life methodology, his life practice. Usually in my posts here I relate the interesting events of a biography from my collection but in the case of Alphonse I have decided to take another path. Rather than relate the particulars of what befell him directly I have decided to list a selection of his aphorisms, of his learning. Reading through them is almost enough to reconstruct the events that must have lead to their production. I feel that by arriving at his tale in this way, indirectly, by sensing it through his treasured aphorisms, via his thoughts, by omitting the details, by not explicitly stating it all, the implied story is magnified and becomes even more powerful, even more remarkable.
Alphonse's Aphorisms
An action can be said to be unwise when it reduces or limits the possibilities that might follow from it.
Unwisdom causes something to reduce or converge. Complexity is lost.
Pruning, when it prohibits growth or regrowth, is unwise.
The law is tasked with listing unwise acts. Because unwise actions destroy unwise actions can be listed or enumerated against what exists.
Wisdom promotes growth, blossoms, sprouts, increases complexity, is novel, is creative. Wisdom cannot be codified.
There can never be edicts about wisdom for how can one make rules about novelty or codify creativity?
Each act of wisdom responds to a unique circumstance. Applying pre learnt formulas or dictates, while sometimes beneficial, can never result in truly wise acts.
Wisdom finds answers in response to life’s questions moment by moment.
Wisdom flows from experience but is not bound by experience. Experience is the school in which one learns wise technique.
Our model for wisdom is Nature. Nature is the paragon of wisdom, is abundantly creative, verdant, productive, intricate.
A commandment like ‘love thy neighbour’ is useful only inasmuch as it points to what is unwise so that we do not regress. About how to love thy neighbour it remains silent. Such commandments are at best an appeal to our creativity, are a call to wise action.
Man's ultimate goal in life is to transcend law, even Natural Law, to arrive at a state of wisdom.
Wisdom is synonymous with freedom.
You can always turn around.
Reflection
I have just a couple of issues with these aphorisms. Firstly nature often over produces, as in swarms of locusts or algal bloom. So much of creation is lost and at times it can seem as though there is an overabundance, not all grasshoppers succeed. Nature produces a surfeit of opportunity and there is much failure. How so? Secondly nature is not only bountiful but is also the author of death and decay. What is the purpose of death in nature's wisdom? Explain those to me Alphonse and for mine you are the Guru! I hope your future life adventures can lead to answers to these problems.
A Last Thought
Dear reader, do you believe in reincarnation, in the transmigration of the soul? If so what do you think it is that transmigrates, what is it that goes on? Some believe that all that we can take, all that the universe harvests from our lives is an inner distillation, a seed. Personality, identity, character, the details, all of these are merely garments to be left at the threshold, all of these things must be left behind. If our life was like a plant and these aphorisms were the flower then what is the fruit, what is the seed that our lives bring forth? Perhaps one can get a sense of the seed, just like one can get a sense of Alphonse's story, from the flower.
What sort of soil is such a seed planted in? Questions, questions! Maybe I'll try my hand at some aphorisms too. We should all work on aphorisms, on our own personal aphorisms, so that we might produce a seed, so that we might produce something that can go on.
