"But strange to say, even though the utter falsehood of this creed was something I came quickly to understand and to reject, I did not discard the rank these people bestowed on me: that of artist, poet and teacher. I naively imagined that I was a poet and an artist. And this is what I did. Through my association with these men I acquired a new vice:"
"At the time we were all convinced that we must talk and talk and write and publish as quickly as possible, and as much as possible, and that this was all necessary for the good of mankind. And thousands of us, contradicting and abusing one another, published and wrote with the aim of teaching others. Failing to notice that we knew nothing, that we did not know the ans"
A celebrated creative figure retained the social rank of artist and teacher despite rejecting the creed that had justified it. That retention bred pride and a deluded sense of vocation to instruct others without true knowledge. Association with similarly convinced peers amplified vanity and compelled incessant talking, publishing, and mutual abuse under the belief that such activity served humanity. Collective efforts became contradictory and ignorant rather than enlightening. Later reflection evokes sadness, ridicule, and comparison to a madhouse, revealing that acclaim and productivity can coexist with corrosive doubt, false pedagogy, and moral failure.
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