Rapid method of Neo

In an attempt to explain matters, they will tell you that the optimists are just silly folk looking at life beatifically through rose-tinted spectacles ; should one such happen to lose his spectacles, he would fall and break his neck.

But it is not so ; rather it is the contrary that happens; for the true optimist is not bereft of foresight; he has chosen his constructive way of life perfectly rationally, with a full knowledge of life’s shoddy tricks. He does foresee the hidden evil and he does seek to cope with it. The joy he has always known will remain with him to the end of life, and he remains happy at having loved his neighbour and at having spread happiness around him.

ANTONIO FRADELETTO

Mi ir lo canso d’i as profesor Venezye, yo dim seklo, Antonio Fradeletto

Et nam nokonat exe Italyo. E, uske Italye, exe Venezye, nur pokunos servar nok la soven.

Venezye, la nam nok venerat, e so no ye oblar k’il sir lo kreer e Palmer del fama Artos-Bianya, jat depdan un instituo de monda rison, ki adar nok, es eto posibla, al nokomparibla lustro d’et urbo unika mondye.

Fradeletto sir profesor, deputun, senator, ministro. II sir surte lo plu gran itala orator de sa temp.

Dok no a et titlos mi venar uldi oje, mo al vir selfa, al vir admirenda k’il sir.

Fradeletto sir un trovul. Abandonat je sa naso al pordo del Ospital della Piet&, elevat pe zorgo del Publasist, l’infan rivelir sun un exepa talent. Infolge, van lo rimarkenda qalos del adolun atirir atenso on il, la patro ofrir le rikoni e l’elpi forfolgi la studos; mo l’infan, ofendat pluye qam onorat pe un gesto tan tardema, rifuzir fyere amba elpo e nam d’et patro sodene penta, prifande servi sa nam de trovul (venezyale ‘Let Frat’) e it ilustri nur pe sa meritos.

Eto no tardir. Apene exat da adol, il ja eblir lo publo pe sa konferensos pril defesta subjekos, firmande ete sa gran qalos d’orator.

Sun il axedir a tot onoros e toyuna il konir glor. La aktiveso faktir on tot domenos, e nil kauzo nobla le lir indiferenta. Mo il sir pretote, as la amik Riccardo Selvatico,poet e mayor, lo gran inamorat de sa libVenezyo, po keo il sentir, nel ukocos de sa kor, un sarto senenda.

Inte lo sovenos d’et maestro nooblibla, mi servar lo d’un rentrado-diskorso, korse keo il ne dicir proxele eto : “Vu u ki nok intakta lo patrimon de yuno-ideal, e dey kor vibrar po to bela e elevat, ve promu des nun resti fidela a vuself korse lo veo de va viv. Eto no iza, lo destin d’om sande, vey, degeneri da kompromado a kompromado. Mo il ki riusor se salvi konor plu tarde lo joy e lo fyereso de retrovi in sa kor sa yuneso”.

Et vortos, pronuncat pel Maestro kon la bel vok posa e armona, gir rexe a ma kor e ye restir glifat po sem. Zi m’elpir in plul cirkonsos e kontribir certe me fi ami viv.

Oje, miself oldijat, mi adresar a ma lib Maestro un penso greda e emovat.

A. Alfandari.

OPTIMISMO E PESIMISMO

Semtempe lo spirtos cinika, negera de kel beleso e noaxedibla a proxamo mokir l’optimistos. Zi en fir sa kaprocef, as es zi vur se vengi de fakto ke zi vidar l’optimistos godi d’un ix ke ziself ni konor.

Zi eselar pleki eto dicande ke l’optimist sar un duma ki vidar beate viv sub un aspo iluda e ke belidyes il skopror l’absurdeso de viv, kador e se rompor lo kol.

Eh ben, tote lo kontra oxar.

Lo vera optimist no sar un beata noprevidema. Gre an il konar lo turpados de viv, il plenlucide elgar un viv-art konstruifa. II previdar lo mal e tralar ye pargi. II endar sa idos nel joy in keo il sem vivir, ixa aminde sa proxun e spansinde ix um so.

What has happened in the meantime to the cynic ? Often enough it is only by breaking with his natural inclinations from some sense of having to conform and to fit into his environment that he becomes cynical. He joins the ranks of the belittlers and do-lessers perhaps only from some fear of being scorned by his pals. When he does not end up as a suicide

which is really the logical end for him — he slips day by day downhill to ugly brooding and ugly looking ; complaints begin to pour out morning, noon and night as he hunts around in surroundings that are obscene, if not criminal, for a lifebelt to cling to.

Optimism and pessimism are an option. The choice, consciously made in youth, sets the orientation for the future. Pessimism leads to cynicism and on to destruction; optimism is constructive, achieving happiness for self and neighbour. Goethe has said that man’s first duty to his neighbour is himself to achieve inner happiness.

A correspondent reminds us that according to Heraclitus the world is made for the good and bad to coexist — and also, he concludes from this, the pessimist and the optimist; if so, we would surely pity the poor blighter who is doomed to complain and pour out his bile. But we ourselves, as optimists, can get on with the task of doing good and working