758. Those who in the life of the body have greatly excelled in cleverness, but only in outer matters, are stupid in the other life
Someone slightly known to me during his bodily life, who was brought to me just for the purpose of conversing, but had nothing to say, was so dull and seemingly stupid that he knew of nothing that we might talk about. His dullness was communicated to me, so that I could learn about it. It cast such shadows over my thought that I could hardly understand what I was writing.
During his bodily life, this man had been cleverer than others, although only outwardly, so that due to his sharpness of mind in regard to trivial matters, he was highly acclaimed.
Thus ingenuity in outer, worldly and bodily matters turns into stupidity. But I do not yet know whether this was the result of his being left to a company of similar spirits. In this circumstance any spirit is stupid, and still more one who, like this one, had only died a few months earlier [see 400]. 1748, 12 February.
758. CONCERNING THOSE WHO IN THE LIFE OF THE BODY HAVE GREATLY EXCELLED IN CLEVERNESS, BUT ONLY IN THINGS EXTERNAL. IN THE OTHER LIFE THEY ARE STUPID
A certain spirit whom I had somewhat known in the life of the body was brought to me for the sake of conversation; but he spoke nothing with me. He was so dull and stupid, as it were, that he knew scarcely anything that others said. His dullness was communicated to me so that I could thence know it. It so obscured my thought that I could scarcely perceive what I was writing. In the life of the body he had been of greater cleverness than others, but only in things external, so that on account of his acumen of cleverness in externals he had been greatly celebrated. Thus cleverness in external, worldly, and corporeal things is turned into stupidity. But as yet I do not know whether it was for that reason that he was left to the company of similar spirits, for in that case every spirit is stupid. Especially stupid is one, like this spirit, who died some months ago. 1748, Feb. 12.
758. Quod ii qui in vita corporis ingenio multo sed in externis polluerint, in altera vita stupidi sint
Quidam mihi aliquantum notus in vita corporis, qui etiam ad me perductus est, colloquendi causa, sed nihil mecum loquutus est, erat tam hebes et quasi stupidus, ut nihil paene sciret, quae dicerentur 1
, ejus hebetudo mecum communicata fuit, sic ut [eam] inde scire potuerim, quae ita obumbravit cogitationem, ut vix perciperem, quae scriberem, is in vita corporis fuit ingeniosus prae aliis, sed modo in externis, sic ut propter acumen ingenii in externis multum celebratus fuerit, ita ingeniositas in externis, mundanis et corporeis vertitur in stupiditatem, sed adhuc nescio, num id ex ea causa fuerit, quod similium spirituum consortio relictus sit, nam tunc stupidus est omnis spiritus, et adhuc magis, qui ante aliquot menses, ut hic, decesserit. 1748, 12 Febr.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has dicerent