What's the deal with not following advice or remembering kindness in old German texts? 
### Query ###
What's the deal with not following advice or remembering kindness in old German texts? 

### Source ###
**FERRARA-1471-001 **
ii


his  heart  was  torn  by  passions  driving  him  to  open  war
with  the  world  around  him.
Borso  continued  to  lead  this  kind  of  existence,  and
the  people  of  Ferrara  to  revel  in  these  entertainments.
Throughout  Italy  the  same  state  of  things  unfortunately
prevailed.  Carelessness  and  corruption  everywhere  !  From
all  sides  Paganism  invaded  the  land,  and  its  inhabitants
were  absorbed  in  wanton  and  thoughtless  enjoyment.
On  the  9th  of  August,  1471,  the  Duke  passed  away,
and  was  scarcely  cold  in  his  grave  before  Lionello's  son,
Niccolò,  and  Ercole  I.  (the  legitimate  son  of  Niccolò  III.),
who  was  now  of  age,  fiercely  disputed  the  succession  by
force  of  arms.  Ercole  proved  the  victor,  and,  enterino-
Ferrara  in  triumph,  was  proclaimed  sovereign  by  the
people.  At  the  same  moment  Niccolò's  followers  were
slaughtered  in  the  streets,  and  those  who  succeeded  in
escaping  were  condemned  to  death  in  contumacy.  On  the
morrow  feasting  and  dancing  went  on  as  usual,  and  the
people  seemed  to  forget  the  bloodshed  of  the  previous
day.1  Such  was  the  famous,  splendid,  jovial  Court  of  the
Este  ;  such  were  the  rulers  courted,  and  probably  praised
to  the  skies,  by  Savonarola's  kindred.


**safety_signs_worker_participation **
91 See Conclusions X and XI. It is noted that in the general remarks concerning
certain areas covered by the Charter no attention was paid to this matter. The
Committee confined itself to dealing therewith in its consideration of the
separate articles.
92 Council Resolution OJ 1978 C 165/1.
93 Council Directives 82/605 (OJ 1982 L 247/12), 83/477 (OJ 1983 L 263/25) and
86/188 (OJ 1986 L 137/28). The first Council Directive was issued in 1977
concerning safety signs at places of work, no. 77/576 (OJ 1977/L 229/12).
94 No. 80/1107, OJ 1980 L 327/8. See more extensively on this directive, Elies
Steyger, Medezeggenschap op ondernemingsniveau inzake veiligheids- en gezond-
heidsaangelegenheden in de Europese Gemeenschap, Maastricht 1990, p. 301 et
se

95 This duty of consultation is elaborated further in specific directives (see note
93) referred to in the framework directive (80/1107).
79


Teun Jaspers


health of workers by the employer at the workplace and a kind of
workers’ participation.


**poetry-performance-1818-001 **
In the intenrals between the poems, she called
upon the audience indiscriminately for a word, as
the subject of a stanza, whieh she iramediately re-
cited, making every line rhyme with the word pro-
posed. She was sddom at a loss for a moment ;
and wben .abe did hesitate, she got out ^f her dif-
ficulties most triumphantly. Drudo was the word
^lat seemed to puzzle her most; at least, she
laade aq attempt to evade it ; but it was pressed
upon ber by the audience*

Upon the whole it was a wonderful perform-
ance ; for though I could not catch ali she said,
one might judge of the merit of such a perform*
ance by the effect produced upon the audience*
Besides, though words may add a great deal, they
•re not absolutely necessary to the expression of
aentiment; — the language of gestures, and fear
tures, and tones, is universale and by the aid of
these, it was easy to follow the story of Iphigenia
perfectly.
After the subject of a poem was proposed^ sbe
walked about the stage for about ten minutes,
and then burst out with ali the seeming fervour



1818.] ROME — BATHS OP TITUS^ 176

of inspiration^ chanting ber stanzas in a recitative
tone, accompanied by music*

Her enunciation and action were a little too
vebement for an Englisb taste^ and conveyed an.
idea of vulgarity ; — but of tbis it is impossible
to judge^ witbout knowing more of tbe nationid
standard of good-breeding.


**resignation_to_god_illusions **
We must conform ourselves to the will of God, not only in
things contrary to us which come directly from God, such as
loss of health, desolation of spirìt, loss of relatives or posses-
sions ; but even in those ills which come from Him indirectly,
such as slanders, slights, injustices, and ali other kinds of per-
secution. And we should remember, that when we are injured
by any one, in our goods or our honour, that God does not will



202 ^xtpwcatiùn for 9eat||

the sin of him who injures us, but that He rightly wills our
poverty and our humiliation. It is certain that whatever hap-
pens, does so by the Divme will. " I forni the light, and create
darkness : I make peace, and create eviL" (Isa. xlv. 7.) The
Preacher had said before, " Prosperity and adversity, life and
death, poverty and riches, come of the Lord." (Ecclus. xi. 14.)
In short, ali things come from God, those that are good and
those that are evil.
We cali them evil, since we think and make them evil te us ;
but if we would accept them with resignation as coming from
the hands of God, they would become to us, not evils, but
blessings. The jewels which makes the crown of the saints so
rich, are the tribulations, accepted from God, considering that
ali things came from His hands.


**empiricist_psychology_ethics **
With  the  empiricist  psychology,  which  has  an  inexhaust-
ible Hterature,  we  will  not  deal  here,  since  it  is  of  no  philo-
sophical interest.  Like  all  empiricisms,  it  does  not  show
any  development,  but  only  the  superimposition  of  shghtly
divergent  tendencies.  From  the  psychology  of  Mill,  which
remains  confined  within  the  immediate  reahty  of  sensation,
we  pass  to  the  naturalism  of  Spencer  and  his  followers,  who
wish  to  base  psychology  on  biology  and,  applying  the
Darwinian  principle  of  evolution,  attempt  to  explain  Mill's
incomprehensible  law  of  association  by  an  appeal  to  the
biological  concept  of  hereditary  transmission.
It  is  more  interesting  to  examine  the  empiricist  ethics,
which  offers  an  excellent  means  of  measuring  the  mental
and   moral  level   of   the   school.
The  empiricist  ethics  starts  with  a  conception  of  man  as
an  egoistic  being  differing  hardly  at  all  from  the  brute,
and  either  denies  the  whole  moral  aspect  of  spiritual  life,
as  Bentham  did  when  in  a  moment  of  depression  he  described
virtue  as  an  ens  rationis,  or,  what  is  worse,  it  tries  to  extract
altruism,  meaning  virtue,  out  of  egoism,  by  simply  playing
with  the  association  of  ideas.
The  least  inconsequent  of  these  moralists  was  Bentham
While  he  did  not  deny  the  existence  of  that  sphere  of  activity
which  transcends  the  limits  of  the  individual,  he  neverthe
less  refused  to  see  in  the  tendency  towards  the  advancement
of  the  general  wellbeing  anything  more  than  a  controlled
egoism.  In  his  psychological  crudity  Bentham  went  in  search
of  a  quantitative  formula  of  pleasure,  which  steered  a  middle
course  between  the  maximum  and  the  minimum  ;  as  though
one  could  weigh  human  interests  in  a  pair  of  scales.


**APICELLA_236_STPHILIPNERI_2023 **
Fabio  Apicella,  a physician  of  great  repute
in  Naples,  being  ill  of  the  gout,  was  at  the
same  time  seized  with  a violent  pain  in  the


Digitized  by  Google


236


ST.  PHILIP  NERI.
side,  and  likewise  suffered  so  terribly  from  the
stone,  that  he  could  not  get  a moment’s  rest
from  pain.  He  had  now  left  off  taking  medi-
cine of  any  kind,  as  he  found  no  relief  from
it,  when  he  applied  a relic  of  Philip’s  hair  to
the  seat  of  the  pain,  and  was  immediately
cured  ; moreover,  this  time  he  passed  the  stone
without  any  pain,  although  before  he  had  al-
ways suffered  a very  agony.  He  afterwards
had  a return  of  his  complaint,  but  was  again
instantaneously  cured  by  the  same  means.  A
servant  of  Marco  Antonio  Yitelleschi  fell  from
his  horse,  and  was  a good  deal  hurt,  especially
about  one  eye,  over  which  there  was  a gash  so
deep  that  the  eye  itself  was  partially  laid  open,
and  he  was  very  feverish  and  ill  in  consequence  ;
however,  a small  relic  of  Philip’s  hair  was  applied
to  the  sick  man,  when  the  fever  instantly  sub-
sided, and  in  a very  short  time,  both  the  eye
and  the  wound  over  it  were  perfectly  healed.

### Analysis ###
The user's query pertains to the recurring themes of disobedience to advice and neglecting kindness in old German texts. This analysis requires an examination of the provided references to identify relevant content that addresses these themes. The references include historical accounts, philosophical musings, and religious reflections, which can shed light on cultural and personal behaviors related to these themes.

1. **FERRARA-1471-001**: This text provides a historical account of the Duke of Ferrara’s reign, focusing on corruption and wanton behavior, which might indirectly relate to the theme of disobedience.
2. **safety_signs_worker_participation**: This text is about safety regulations and worker participation, not particularly relevant to the query.
3. **poetry-performance-1818-001**: This text describes a performance involving improvisational poetry, which seems unrelated to the themes of advice or kindness.
4. **resignation_to_god_illusions**: This text discusses resignation and the acceptance of hardships as part of God’s will, potentially relevant for understanding actions influenced by higher powers.
5. **empiricist_psychology_ethics**: This text covers empirical psychology and ethics, particularly egoism and altruism, which could be relevant for understanding individual behavior.
6. **APICELLA_236_STPHILIPNERI_2023**: This text recounts a healing miracle involving a relic, reflecting religious devotion and potential obedience to divine intervention.

Based on this analysis, the most relevant references are **FERRARA-1471-001**, **resignation_to_god_illusions**, and **empiricist_psychology_ethics**. These provide historical, philosophical, and ethical perspectives on disobedience and the neglect of kindness.

### Answer ###
In old German texts, themes of disobedience to advice and neglecting kindness often reflect broader societal and individual behaviors influenced by various factors. Historical accounts, such as those from Ferrara, depict a culture marked by carelessness and corruption, where immediate pleasures were prioritized over moral concerns<ref name="FERRARA-1471-001">"Carelessness and corruption everywhere! From all sides Paganism invaded the land, and its inhabitants were absorbed in wanton and thoughtless enjoyment."</ref>. This disregard for advice and kindness can be seen as a reflection of the prevailing social environment, where self-indulgence was valued over responsible behavior.

Philosophical and ethical considerations also play a role. In discussions of empiricist ethics, it is noted that humans are often seen as egoistic beings, driven more by personal gain than altruistic motives<ref name="empiricist_psychology_ethics">"The empiricist ethics starts with a conception of man as an egoistic being differing hardly at all from the brute."</ref>. This perspective suggests that individuals may not follow advice out of a lack of concern for the greater good, instead prioritizing their own interests.

Religious texts, such as those discussing resignation to God's will, highlight another dimension of disobedience and kindness. Accepting hardships as part of a higher plan can lead individuals to act against their own desires for the sake of spiritual growth<ref name="resignation_to_god_illusions">"We must conform ourselves to the will of God, not only in things contrary to us which come directly from God, such as loss of health, desolation of spirit, loss of relatives or possessions; but even in those ills which come from Him indirectly."</ref>. This passive acceptance of adversity can be interpreted as a form of disobedience to personal wishes, yet aligned with divine guidance.

Overall, these references illustrate that the themes of disregarding advice and failing to show kindness are deeply embedded in historical, philosophical, and religious contexts. These elements interact to shape individual behavior and societal norms, reflecting a complex interplay between personal choices and external influences. 