Great Soul
I have written before about what it means to be "cool" (not from first hand experience, but from observation) but I think I overlooked one of the central aspects of coolness: magnanimity. "Magnanimous" literally means to have a "great soul," in the sense of a large soul. A person with a great soul does not concern himself with trifles; hence, the common meaning of "magnanimous" as a person who overlooks insults because they are beneath him.
Being magnanimous is not the same as being cool, but they are clearly related. If you are cool, in the sense that you don't react strongly to events, it could be because you are magnanimous, i.e. you are focussed on things more important than particular events. This is a central feature of the noble ethos in European history, and indeed, as far as I can tell, nobility from just about any society (I was inspired to write this after reading the sayings of Confucius). A noble is only supposed to care about important things such as honour. He is absolutely not supposed to be concerned about money, for which reason he is not supposed to bother counting his change (why worry about such trivial matters?) and he is not supposed to make a living by buying and selling -- in fact, in many cases he could lose his nobility if he engaged in a trade.
The noble cultivates an indifference to worldly affairs that is similar to being cool; he is magnanimous after a fashion. However, a noble should never let a slight to his honour pass, and this is where there is a definite distinction between magnanimity and nobility. Sometimes a noble would be forced to fight -- a small fight like a duel, or a large one like a rebellion -- in order to maintain his honour. I suppose by some definitions of magnanimity this would still count, but not usually. It recalls to mind Voltaire's experience when a nobleman teased him about his assumed name, to which Voltaire retorted, "I am beginning my name, and you are ending yours." Far from overlooking this slight, the nobleman had his servants beat Voltaire, who then ended up in prison after he challenged the nobleman to a duel. Lesson: don't count on nobles to overlook your insults, and also don't think you can get by with dueling them if you're not of the same rank.
So being cool is not only an old philosophical and religious ideal, it (or something like it) is also a longstanding sign of good breeding. The connection between magnanimity and coolness occurred to me when I was reading the sayings of Confucius, where one finds many similar sentiments, e.g.:
Confucius, of course, would not sanction violence in defense of honour; I'm not even sure if the concept of "honour" shows up in his sayings (if it did, I don't remember it). But clearly he developed an idea of a great soul that closely mirrors the same idea in the West of magnanimity and, today, coolness.
Being magnanimous is not the same as being cool, but they are clearly related. If you are cool, in the sense that you don't react strongly to events, it could be because you are magnanimous, i.e. you are focussed on things more important than particular events. This is a central feature of the noble ethos in European history, and indeed, as far as I can tell, nobility from just about any society (I was inspired to write this after reading the sayings of Confucius). A noble is only supposed to care about important things such as honour. He is absolutely not supposed to be concerned about money, for which reason he is not supposed to bother counting his change (why worry about such trivial matters?) and he is not supposed to make a living by buying and selling -- in fact, in many cases he could lose his nobility if he engaged in a trade.
The noble cultivates an indifference to worldly affairs that is similar to being cool; he is magnanimous after a fashion. However, a noble should never let a slight to his honour pass, and this is where there is a definite distinction between magnanimity and nobility. Sometimes a noble would be forced to fight -- a small fight like a duel, or a large one like a rebellion -- in order to maintain his honour. I suppose by some definitions of magnanimity this would still count, but not usually. It recalls to mind Voltaire's experience when a nobleman teased him about his assumed name, to which Voltaire retorted, "I am beginning my name, and you are ending yours." Far from overlooking this slight, the nobleman had his servants beat Voltaire, who then ended up in prison after he challenged the nobleman to a duel. Lesson: don't count on nobles to overlook your insults, and also don't think you can get by with dueling them if you're not of the same rank.
So being cool is not only an old philosophical and religious ideal, it (or something like it) is also a longstanding sign of good breeding. The connection between magnanimity and coolness occurred to me when I was reading the sayings of Confucius, where one finds many similar sentiments, e.g.:
The Master said: “A gentleman considers what is right; the vulgar consider what will pay.”The Master said: “A gentleman has no skill in trifles, but has strength for big tasks: the vulgar are skilled in trifles, but have no strength for big tasks.”The Master said: “A gentleman is calm and spacious: the vulgar are always fretting.”
Confucius, of course, would not sanction violence in defense of honour; I'm not even sure if the concept of "honour" shows up in his sayings (if it did, I don't remember it). But clearly he developed an idea of a great soul that closely mirrors the same idea in the West of magnanimity and, today, coolness.
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