It is often the case that when an upstanding idealist gets corrupted,
rather than a gradual erosion that starts with minor outward flaws and
over time reaches the core of the person, the corruption occurs
quietly and imperceptibly (in the beginning, at least) from the inside
out, in such a manner that by the time any outward sign of the
corruption, however minor, is finally seen, the person will have been
entirely consumed by it. "Rotten to the core", as the saying goes,
would have to be reworded "Rotten from the core", in these, not too
infrequent, sad cases.

Besides this, an individual is often shaped by the collective, even
against his wishes, and often without his awareness. To not recognize
the strong power that the collective exerts over one's own soul is to
leave this frontier of the soul undefended. Those blind to their
soul's vulnerability to external influences -- of the protracted guile
of an unscrupulous neighbor, of the indifferent slander of strangers,
or of the mystical influence of the land itself -- often succumb to
these influences, and that in a most appaling manner.

Apart from this, often too much time is wasted, and energy exerted, on
external/physical things at the expense of far more important unseen,
non-measurable internal things. One might even waste his soul trying
to right small injustices that could have been suffered with patience
and dignity, all the while forgetting to even notice the many
blessings that abound -- compared to which the injustices, and the
expiation sought thereof, are absolutely insignificant in the grand
scheme of things. This tendency only accelerates the corrosion working
in the human heart.

The 2.5+ hours long 2019 Estonian film 'Truth and Justice' is a
masterful case study of these phenomena. While not a light watch, this
brilliantly well-crafted movie is a rather edifying watch.

[17 June 2024]