Goodness is trusted when it protects itself and admired when it produces results. If you can’t do that, you’re often dismissed as naive. Some virtues are recognized only in hindsight. What seems foolish at the moment may arrive before its time.
Ceasefires are not dramatic and often pass without notice. There are no clear winners or losers, and there are no memorable replays. It may seem weak. When peace continues, people forget their inhibitions as if nothing happened. Other times, the restraint ends with one person claiming victory and the other party being embarrassed, and images of this abound.
This same pattern can be seen in everyday life. Self-restraint can mean refraining from sending harsh emails, letting misunderstandings go unanswered, and refraining from re-explaining yourself. In any case, restraint appears only in case of troubles that will never arise. That’s why it’s so easily overlooked and rarely given credit.
Dostoevsky’s fool explores this issue through a form of goodness that leaves no trace and seeks no praise. Although this novel attempts to portray an “actively good person” in modern society, Dostoevsky himself doubted whether such a character could survive in modern society. Prince Myshkin does not try to control anyone, and people criticize him for this. His honesty looks like weakness and his trust looks like foolishness. He avoids social games so others take advantage of him. That’s why he is called a fool.
For Myshkin, good intentions not only fail to persuade, but also calm the mind. His candor reveals the motives of others without condemnation. He is considered dangerous because he refuses to compete. By not protecting ourselves, we allow others to feel silently judged. Innocence does not protect him in the story. It accelerates the harm he faces.
There’s another irony. Myshkin suffered from epilepsy, which Dostoyevsky also experienced, but there is a moment immediately before a seizure when he regains intense consciousness. These insights do not help him move forward. He cannot leverage or control them. Even if they can see clearly, they refuse to use that knowledge. His goodness remains unprotected.
He could have done better if he had looked more competent at managing his image, putting on a show, finding success earlier. People would have found it easier to relate to that version of him. Something similar happens in public life. Sometimes it’s wise. “No Kings Day,” like several subsequent protests, relied on playfulness and spectacle to reflect rather than confront the chaos in Washington. Comedy becomes a way to deal with obstacles without facing them directly.
It is often said that character is important for a great leader. If you tell the truth, add a joke. Seriousness is often the least effective attitude. When those in power make everything a spectacle, there is a risk that serious opposition will get in on the act. Used carefully, mockery can refuse to treat a show any more seriously than it should.
Goalkeeper Chesterton once said:
“Sormonity springs naturally from man, but laughter is a leap. It is easy to become heavy, but difficult to become light. Satan was corrupted by gravity.”
fool It’s satire without irony. Dostoyevsky is not making fun of the world. He shows what happens when the world laughs at goodness and rises to the top. Myshkin is not ridiculed for being good, but tested by a culture that confuses showmanship with intelligence, irony with depth. He fails not because he misunderstands others, but because he refuses to use his insight for profit. His honesty is not a tactic, so it comes off as stupid.
Cultures devoted to spectacle almost always misunderstand the virtues of refusing to defend themselves. Some truths emerge unprotected. Some virtues do not last on their own. Still, they are not wasted. They remain as silent standards, unchanging, unsettling, and capable of revealing the noise for what it is.
That may not be enough to win on the day.
But it might be enough to prevent that moment from happening.
Sometimes that’s how goodness is preserved.
Sometimes that’s how goodness sings.
Old hits still resonate today. Prince Royce’s version of “Stand By Me” is a fusion of English and Spanish lyrics. (3:48) – lyrics
notes and reading
Prince Royce’s bachata version of Ben E. King’s classic reworks the song within a Latin rhythmic framework. Bachata originated in the Dominican Republic as working-class popular music in the mid-20th century, with steady dance rhythms and intimate, confessional tones that later spread worldwide. Prince Royce also collaborated with current Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny early in his career.
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Fyodor Dostoyevsky, fool (1868, Oxford edition translated by Alan Myers, 1998). It is often said to be the most personal of Dostoyevsky’s major works, embodying his most intimate beliefs.
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mikhail bakhtin Problems with Dostoevsky’s Poetics (English version, 1973). Bakhtin said that meaning is not “monological” but dialogical, that is, it emerges through the interaction of voices, including silence. He considered Dostoevsky’s novels to be one of the clearest expressions of this approach.
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neil postman enjoy to death (2005). A fundamental critique of how media reshapes public discourse through entertainment and spectacle.
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Neville Henderson mission failure (2010). Henderson, who served as British ambassador to Germany from 1937 to 1939, spoke first-hand about British diplomacy during the final years of appeasement. Although his judgment is widely seen as wrong in hindsight,memoirs remain important primary sources, demonstrating moral seriousness, strategic restraint, and self-deception that could shape political policy.
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Elif Batuman fool (2017). Batuman’s novel can be read as a foil to Dostoyevsky. Her Selin encounters the world through irony, an intelligence shaped by distance, ambiguity, and self-preservation. Prince Myshkin is not like that. Serin’s sarcasm is part of her intelligence. That Myshkin lacks that is part of his tragedy.
unexpected help
held over fire
Approximately 2+2=5
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
