Thomas Carlyle

I will first open with a line that Samuel Butler said about Mr. Carlyle’s marriage. “It was very good of God to let Carlyle and Mrs. Carlyle marry one another and so make only two people miserable instead of four, besides being very amusing.” Now if that is not the grand toast at a wedding I don’t know what is one. As you read the mini biography you can not help but to get that mean old man presence from Thomas. Nevertheless, he has put out plenty of excellent writings, especially around the time he lost his faith.
You know I can not speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself and for my peers that I have heard from. It seems that the question is how do you contain mental stability when your spiritual foundation is no longer standing strong? Who knows what may shake your stronghold of religion, maybe someone close to you dies for no apparent reason or you hear the story of a homeless person who seems to have lived the right way. Whatever it may be faith sometimes may be the hardest thing to keep. Thomas Carlyle was one of the few people to write about this feeling. In a time he self-proclaimed “The Everlasting No,” Carlyle wrote a piece called “Sartor.” Even though this writing was not the one that put him on the map, I am sure that the autobiography would be a special read to me and I believe some of my college peers.
But now on to one of his more famous writings. In the “Past and Present,” he switches from his religious tone somewhat and focuses on how social class, politics, and making money influence us. In the part entitled Captains of Industry he seems to say that this high speed completion of making money is leading us down the wrong path.

“But it is my firm conviction that the “Hell in England” will cease to be the of “not making money”; that we shall get a nobler Hell and a nobler Heaven!….-O Heavens, each man will then say to himself: ”Why such deadly haste to make money? I shall not got to Hell, even if I do not make money! There is another Hell, I am told!” Competition, at railway-speed, in all branches of commerce and work will then abate:-good felt-hats for the head, In every sense, instead of seven-feet lath-and-plaster hats on wheels, will then be discoverable!”
(from Captains of Industry)

With him saying that the never ending chase of money is no more different than Hell, has to make you think. You know as you grow up you often got asked the question what would you want to be when you grow up and the response a child gives is usually a profession that brings in a lot of money. But in this world today and the world of yesteryear you really got to questions what makes you happy, because that is all that really matters in life.