Revisiting Hesse’s essay “On Little Joys”
I’ve been re-reading Hermann Hesse’s short essay “On Little Joys” written in 1905. It forms part of the book ‘My Belief’ which is a collection of essays on Life and Art published post-humously in 1974.
There are some real gems in this book, such as the essay entitled ‘Concerning the Soul’, and although many of these were written over 100 years ago, Hesse’s observations and analyses are as relevant now as they were then. Similar to someone like Huxley, Hesse was able to observe the world he lived in and predict the future state, but with more emphasis on exploring the human psyche and offering guidance on how to deal with the fast changing modern world.
Hesse starts the essay:
“Sensitive persons find our inartistic manner of existence oppressive and painful, and they withdraw from sight. In art and poetry, after the brief heyday of realism, a dissatisfaction has arisen everywhere, the clearest symptom of it being nostalgia for the Renaissance and Romanticism”
Hesse is writing at the turn of the century in the build-up to World War I, and at time when industrialisation and machines were reinventing the world. In Art, changes were starting to take place in reaction to the mechanised world and one of Modern Art’s forefathers Paul Cezanne was indeed living life out of sight in Southern France. Cubism, pioneered by Braque and Picasso, will shortly be entering the picture around 1908, completely breaking loose from the traditions and techniques of Renaissance art.
Hesse goes onto say:
“The high value put upon every minute of time, the idea of hurry hurry as the most important objective of living is unquestionably the most dangerous enemy of joy”
In the eyes of Hesse, this relentless need to seek pleasure only generates more dissatisfaction, and one which, paradoxically, has to be constantly satisfied.
Hesse highlights that approaches to leisure are characterised by as much anxiety as our work, with the motto being, “as much as possible, as fast as possible”, leading to what he describes as “more and more entertainment and less and less joy”.
Hesse refers to places of entertainment in cities, and describes the faces he sees as “feverish, distorted faces with their greedy eyes”. He highlights that people of all socio-economic situations feel the need to conform to this ideology, constantly seeking out satisfaction so that they can “stay on top”.
This leads Hesse onto the theme of moderation:
“moderate enjoyment is double enjoyment, and do not overlook the little joys!”
Hesse encourages the reader to exercise the courage to opt out of what the crowd are doing. The unmissable event does not exist. You do not have to conform. You do not need to “keep up with the kardashians”. Maybe Hesse didn’t say this, but you get my drift.
He encourages us to moderate the amount we consume in terms of seeking out entertainment. Spend an hour exploring a single masterpiece rather than the whole exhibition and you will be the benefactor he says. Allow yourself not to watch the latest Netflix series everyone is talking about because you feel you need to be involved in the conversation. Restraining yourself implies more control of one’s own being. Doing, doing, doing, dictated by the social norms and structures that have sprung up around you, completely against your own design, are not things you have to adhere to.
Hesse connects the theme of moderation with our capacity to cherish the “little joys” in life. Joys that cost no money and are “liberally scattered” throughout our existence and “daily contact with nature”. Hesse suggests that we are often overlooking these little joys, instead being too concerned with the daily rat race. Our eyes look at the pavement as we walk. We do not observe the world and what is going on around us because we are preoccupied with our work and what we need to do in the future, rather than the present, and just being.
And this is an important point for us all to consider. The ability to observe the world is the root of many beautiful acts of creation. When you look up, engage your senses and observe the world, new ideas form and your connection with the things around you becomes amplified.
For example, the legendary soul singer Sam Cooke referred to the importance of observation in his songwriting,
“the secret is really observation… if you observe what’s going on and try to figure out how people are thinking, I think you can always write something that people will understand.”
Such skills in observation led to the seminal song, ‘A change is gonna come’. A song that captured the hearts and minds of a generation during the civil rights movement, and which to this day stirs the soul in anyone that listens to it.
So as we approach 2019, I think it’s important more of us heed Hesse’s advice. Not so we can become the next Sam Cooke, but so we can enjoy our lives more in the present and take notice of what we have, right here, right now.
As it becomes more and more imperative that we change how we live on this planet in order to stave off environmental catastrophe, Hesse’s advice could go a long way in helping us reconnect with the environment around us. A new appreciation for our environments, facilitated by a move towards moderation and acknowledging the little joys in life, could just be the catalyst for much needed change…
