The laugher of the immortals

How we differentiate garbage and bullshit from the real art? We simply cannot. We live in the age of bullshit.

I just finished listening the audio book Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. After 7.5 hours of listening I finally got the idea of what Hesse wanted to convey us. I read a book, a long time ago, maybe 30 years ago, but I did not understand much. Now I got it. Oh yeah, but I'm not really sure Hesse did.

His message is - live the life, play, try to attain the laugher of the immortals.

According to him, the laughter, we should be after, is a space of freedom, from norms, from forms, from concepts, from the artist’s ego. The laugher of the immortals is a true laugh, he said; for it is clear that Steppenwolf has a fake laugh. The path to attain the laugh of the immortals is tenuous. 

Such laughter is not necessarily comedic, regardless of what mechanism produced it, whether that be funny things, contradictions, jokes, humor, and so on, it is a rather the burst of laughter, often produced awkwardly and sometimes inappropriately.

I understood it all. I understood Pablo. I understood Mozart, and somewhere behind me I heard his ghastly laughter. I knew that all the hundred thousand pieces of life’s game were in my pocket. A glimpse of its meaning had stirred my reason and I was determined to begin the game afresh. I would sample its tortures once more and shudder again at its senselessness. I would traverse not once more, but often, the hell of my inner being.

One day I would be a better hand at the game. One day I would learn how to laugh. Pablo was waiting for me, and Mozart too. 

~ The end of Steppenwolf written by Hermann Hesse

There was a guy, a junkie... one day he was so drunk and stoned, he finished in a pool... and there he was... floating on the water... An old man, it was you Mr. Hesse was passing by... the man saw the burnout, drunken, druggie in the pool... you wondered what he was doing... looking at his face, you saw figurines of your life. The dopehead looked back at you and told you.. Hey Hermann, I am a goldfish, I'm here to fulfill you three wishes.

Do you laugh Mr. Hermann? You should, it's funny.

Mr. Hesse, let me illuminate you the possibilities

There are no figurines of the life, no such thing as an artistic ego, no personalities, it is all imagination of your deluded mind. How do you get rid of something that does not exists? How it looks a son of a barren woman?

If you make yourself deprived of illusions, imagination and hopes - if you are deprived of your interests, cares and expectations - your world would collapse, you would become empty, hopeless and alone just as a Steppenwolf. I agree with you Hermann, it is not the right place to be but it's a great place to start in a direction of dying into the mind.

By realizing that noting has any meaning is a death of "you" Hermann, the death of everything it consisted of "Hermann", the destruction of all your bullshit figurines collected through ignorance and inexperience. All experiences will remain in you merely as material, but subject to evaluation. Then you will be able to laugh at the world and at yourself.

You'll attain the laugher of the immortals.

When you demand nothing of the world when you want nothing, seek nothing, expect nothing, then life comes, uninvited and unexpected.

It is your world Hermann. There is no one else here, just you, and nothing is being withheld from you. You are completely on your own. Everything is available to you. This is what Pablo told you.

No one else has anything you need. No one else can lead you, pull you, push you or carry you. Mozart is not necessary to your happiness.

The life is your dream Hermann, because you are asleep, you can wake up. 😉