Ardor is fire, but fanaticism is fire too. The first one is fire without smoke and the second one is smoking fire.
Ardor means the whole man, composed and ready to go without looking back. When the mind judges, the heart loves and the soul desires, then the man becomes complete and with his gathered powers starts great deeds. Such a composed and whole man is a great power in this world, even greater than he thinks he is. Ardor is men loving. When in the ardor of someone hides hate against some people, this is not ardor anymore, it is fanaticism.
When in sprin it is burnt a pile of trash, from below there appear the awakened snakes. All the great social organizations, the entire art, the entire high poetry, all the purely human motions bringing salvation – all are made with ardor.
It must never be forgotten that there is no ardor without love for people. Fanaticism appears in its entire power in three cases: in the party politics, in revolutions and wars.
Ardor differs from fanaticism as the day differs from night. The first is led by love and it builds; the second one is led by hate and destroys. The first is for the whole community, the second one is exclusivist and sectarian.
A fanatic always lacks something, sometimes the mind and other times the heart. The ardent one is always a whole person.
Beware soul not to alter yourself and take care so that your ardor won`t turn into fanaticism.
Excerpt from Thoughts about good and evil – Saint Nicholas Velimirovich, Predania Publishing.
