The Bet is a short story by Anton Chekhov. The story is about what is more humane: The death penalty of imprisonment for life?
There is a banker who argues the death penalty is more human than life in prison. A young lawyer says they are equally inhumane, but if he had to choose, he would surely choose life, therefore he would choose life in prison.
The banker bets the lawyer 2 million rubles that he won’t stay locked up for 15 years. He can leave at any time. His imprisonment is completely voluntary. If he leaves at any time before 15 years has passed, he loses the bet and has to pay the banker 2 million rubles. If he stays “imprisoned”, the banker will pay him the 2 million.
He takes the bet.
While confined, he studies all the knowledge in the world. He learns everything there is to learn about the world and humanity.
15 years later, the night before the bet is over, the banker is very concerned. Over the years he had lost his fortune, l so he won’t be able to pay the 2 million rubles agreed upon 15 years earlier. It will ruin him.
He breaks into the lawyer’s lodgings planning to kill him. In order to save himself from being financially ruined.
He finds the lawyer asleep at his desk. Next to him, a letter he wrote.
Here is a quick summary of what the letter said:
“Tomorrow at 12 I regain my freedom. Before I go, I want to say a couple of things: I despise freedom, and life and health. All that you call the good things of the world, in your books; for 15 years I have been intently studying earthly life through your books; I am wiser than all of you, but I despise your books, wisdom and the blessings of this world. It’s all worthless, fleeting, illusory and deceptive - like a mirage; you are proud wise and fine, but death will wipe you off the face of the earth as though you were no more than mice burrowing under the floor; all your achievements will burn and freeze together with the earthly globe; to proof to you how much I despise you, I renounce the 2 million of which I once dreamed as paradise. I shall go out from here 5 hours before 15 years.”
The banker stood there crying. He left the lawyer’s “prison” and returned to his house. The next morning the lawyer was gone.
I don’t know too much about Anton Chekhov. My first impression was that he was a very big nihilist. But, the more I think about this story, the more I start to wonder if the intention was not to serve as a warning against the dangers of nihilism.
The danger of believing that theoretical knowledge without practical experience is enough. Book knowledge alone often lead “educated people” to resent and loath others.
The dangers of believing there is no difference between knowledge and wisdom. Some of the wisest people never went to university of have any fancy book knowledge, degrees or titles. I find it interesting how nihilism often originates at universities. There seems to be a strong connection between nihilism and self perceived “enlightenment”.
As humans, we surely are capable of doing a lot of bad. I can understand why the lawyer developed such a disdain for mankind through reading about our history.
Also, it would be fair to say that it’s very dangerous to trust a banker, haha.
And finally, dear reader,
I think the lawyer developed such an adverse perspective about humanity because he was living alone for all those years. He was living with all the knowledge in the world but without love.
As Beethoven reminds us,
“Even if I have all the knowledge in the world, even if I can speak to the angels, without love, I am nothing.”
“Sonder liefde is ek niks.”
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