Page 109 - Romanticism: A Weapon of Satan

The Pysical Ill Caused by Romanticism

s romanticism causes mental and spiritual damage, so too
does it cause physical deterioration. Most important are those
A apparent physical changes that a person is unable to hide. It is
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natural that if one experiences mental distress, tension and worry,
these are bound to be reflected in his outward appearance. An
emotional person's facial expressions, hand movements and tone of
voice, all reveal the fact that his or her personality is governed by
sentimentality.
In emotional people, we may recognise the physical traits that a
"psychosomatic," or mental illness, can give rise to. When their bodies
lose their physical resilience, they become weak, their immune system
collapses and they either fall into one illness after another or an
existing illness lingers without getting better.
Along with this sickness come many other changes: a person may
lose his hair, or it may become prematurely grey and appear lifeless;
the skin loses its moisture and elasticity and becomes dry, thickened,
wrinkled and cracked, with the result that it becomes prone to
infections. Moreover, because the cells are slow to regenerate, the
person appears to have a permanent skin condition; his complexion is
sallow and his eyes are dull. Therefore, it is evident that people with a
tendency towards romantic melancholy, who continually create
problems for themselves, become old early. Their bodies cannot stand
the years of unrelenting tension, emotional flare-ups and mental
unrest. As a consequence, they display signs of early ageing and other
forms of serious physical deterioration.
This is not the last of the physical damage that sentimentality can
inflict on a person. His inner soberness and melancholy are reflected
on his face and in his behaviour; all his dynamism, spirit, zest for life
and love are seriously diminished and, consequently, so is his physical
health. Because of the dullness of his eyes, the thinning and
lifelessness of his hair, and the tension in his facial muscles, his
expression is tense, gloomy and unpleasant. These are just a few of the
physical changes that might take place. By the same token, people who