I've thought about it and realised I need to show you a bit more of how great Nietzche is, how he truly does challenge your preconceptions on society, political (thought control) systems and life generally.
Nietzche is not for the faint hearted, or those who want to see the world through rose tinted spectacles.
But then those poor deluded fools are just cannon fodder for the Big Brother culture and the mind control of our dear leaders.
Nietzche would have hated that.
Sometimes Nietzche can be like a snap in the face.
He says the things you thought at the back of your head and wondered if anyone dared to say it. Well, he does that.
He's like the man who doesn't see why he shouldn't mention the war.
He is the man who tells the Big Issue seller to get a job.
He is the man who would have dared to say the day of Diana's funeral 'The world has gone mad.'
But he is the man most of the time who says 'Why SHOULDN'T we?' to life.
Nietzche believed that mankind have a beautiful future ahead of us. He believed that realising that we evolved from animals didn't mean we should see ourselves as the same. He thought we should look at how far we had come and aspire to go further. If we had made it from animal to man, we could make it from man to god.
And why not?
Nietzche is about man putting faith in man.
Not in ALL men, but in the greatness that reveals itself in a few.
If you can get your head around Nietzche, If you find yourself one of those he was talking to, you will find yourself much more optimistic about humanity and love your world a lot better.
Unfortunately, not all who have read Nietzche quite got what he meant, but the same goes for many of those who have acted in the name of Jesus Christ, Mohammed and Karl Marx.
So I leave you to meet Nietzche again right where I left you last time, with the rope dancer.
Zarathustra, however, looked at the people and wondered. Then he
spake thus:
Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Superman- a
rope over an abyss.
A dangerous crossing, a dangerous wayfaring, a dangerous
looking-back, a dangerous trembling and halting.
What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal: what
is lovable in man is that he is an over-going and a down-going.
I love those that know not how to live except as down-goers, for
they are the over-goers.
I love the great despisers, because they are the great adorers,
and arrows of longing for the other shore.
I love those who do not first seek a reason beyond the stars for
going down and being sacrifices, but sacrifice themselves to the
earth, that the earth of the Superman may hereafter arrive.
I love him who liveth in order to know, and seeketh to know in order
that the Superman may hereafter live. Thus seeketh he his own
down-going.
I love him who laboureth and inventeth, that he may build the
house for the Superman, and prepare for him earth, animal, and
plant: for thus seeketh he his own down-going.
I love him who loveth his virtue: for virtue is the will to
down-going, and an arrow of longing.
I love him who reserveth no share of spirit for himself, but wanteth
to be wholly the spirit of his virtue: thus walketh he as spirit
over the bridge.
I love him who maketh his virtue his inclination and destiny:
thus, for the sake of his virtue, he is willing to live on, or live no
more.
I love him who desireth not too many virtues. One virtue is more
of a virtue than two, because it is more of a knot for one's destiny
to cling to.
I love him whose soul is lavish, who wanteth no thanks and doth
not give back: for he always bestoweth, and desireth not to keep for
himself.
I love him who is ashamed when the dice fall in his favour, and
who then asketh: "Am I a dishonest player?"- for he is willing to
succumb.
I love him who scattereth golden words in advance of his deeds,
and always doeth more than he promiseth: for he seeketh his own
down-going.
I love him who justifieth the future ones, and redeemeth the past
ones: for he is willing to succumb through the present ones.
I love him who chasteneth his God, because he loveth his God: for he
must succumb through the wrath of his God.
I love him whose soul is deep even in the wounding, and may
succumb through a small matter: thus goeth he willingly over the
bridge.
I love him whose soul is so overfull that he forgetteth himself, and
all things are in him: thus all things become his down-going.
I love him who is of a free spirit and a free heart: thus is his
head only the bowels of his heart; his heart, however, causeth his
down-going.
I love all who are like heavy drops falling one by one out of the
dark cloud that lowereth over man: they herald the coming of the
lightning, and succumb as heralds.
Lo, I am a herald of the lightning, and a heavy drop out of the
cloud: the lightning, however, is the Superman.-
When Zarathustra had spoken these words, he again looked at the
people, and was silent. "There they stand," said he to his heart;
"there they laugh: they understand me not; I am not the mouth for
these ears.
Must one first batter their ears, that they may learn to hear with
their eyes? Must one clatter like kettledrums and penitential
preachers? Or do they only believe the stammerer?
They have something whereof they are proud. What do they call it,
that which maketh them proud? Culture, they call it; it distinguisheth
them from the goatherds.
They dislike, therefore, to hear of 'contempt' of themselves. So I
will appeal to their pride.
I will speak unto them of the most contemptible thing: that,
however, is the last man!"
And thus spake Zarathustra unto the people:
It is time for man to fix his goal. It is time for man to plant
the germ of his highest hope.
Still is his soil rich enough for it. But that soil will one day
be poor and exhausted, and no lofty tree will any longer be able to
grow thereon.
Alas! there cometh the time when man will no longer launch the arrow
of his longing beyond man- and the string of his bow will have
unlearned to whizz!
I tell you: one must still have chaos in one, to give birth to a
dancing star. I tell you: ye have still chaos in you.
Alas! There cometh the time when man will no longer give birth to
any star. Alas! There cometh the time of the most despicable man,
who can no longer despise himself.
Lo! I show you the last man.
"What is love? What is creation? What is longing? What is a
star?"- so asketh the last man and blinketh.
The earth hath then become small, and on it there hoppeth the last
man who maketh everything small. His species is ineradicable like that
of the ground-flea; the last man liveth longest.
"We have discovered happiness"- say the last men, and blink thereby.
They have left the regions where it is hard to live; for they need
warmth. One still loveth one's neighbour and rubbeth against him;
for one needeth warmth.
Turning ill and being distrustful, they consider sinful: they walk
warily. He is a fool who still stumbleth over stones or men!
A little poison now and then: that maketh pleasant dreams. And
much poison at last for a pleasant death.
One still worketh, for work is a pastime. But one is careful lest
the pastime should hurt one.
One no longer becometh poor or rich; both are too burdensome. Who
still wanteth to rule? Who still wanteth to obey? Both are too
burdensome.
No shepherd, and one herd! Everyone wanteth the same; everyone is
equal: he who hath other sentiments goeth voluntarily into the
madhouse.
"Formerly all the world was insane,"- say the subtlest of them,
and blink thereby.
They are clever and know all that hath happened: so there is no
end to their raillery. People still fall out, but are soon reconciled-
otherwise it spoileth their stomachs.
They have their little pleasures for the day, and their little
pleasures for the night, but they have a regard for health.
"We have discovered happiness,"- say the last men, and blink
thereby.-
And here ended the first discourse of Zarathustra, which is also
called "The Prologue", for at this point the shouting and mirth of the
multitude interrupted him. "Give us this last man, O Zarathustra,"-
they called out- "make us into these last men! Then will we make
thee a present of the Superman!" And all the people exulted and
smacked their lips. Zarathustra, however, turned sad, and said to
his heart:
"They understand me not: I am not the mouth for these ears.
Too long, perhaps, have I lived in the mountains; too much have I
hearkened unto the brooks and trees: now do I speak unto them as
unto the goatherds.
Calm is my soul, and clear, like the mountains in the morning. But
they think me cold, and a mocker with terrible jests.
And now do they look at me and laugh: and while they laugh they hate
me too. There is ice in their laughter."
That's pretty much all I have to say about Nietzche. I'm sure he will find his way on to posts again at some point, but if I have got just one person to think again about this much misunderstood genius, I will rest happy tonight.
Saturday 19 May 2007
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8 comments:
Not a problem, you keep posting Nietzsche and I'll keep posting Plato, Mozart and Satre.
I've certainly reached the 'why shouldn't I' point in my life, it wasn't always the case. People like Nietzsche helped me along the road.
Amazing...................I want to read more! It gives me goose bumps. Seriously.
It's all I could think of in bed.
How blind people but how can one not hate human nature ?
Man is simply the vehicle by which genetic material is transmitted.
We are not at the center of existence but are merely a transient species - one of an infinite number. Viruses have more claim to this kingdom - they were here aeons before us and will be here aeons thereafter.
(A Brief History of Nearly Everything)
Ms Uber, That's exactly how I feel about Nietzche.
It's like you know he's true, because he makes you feel that way.
It was only through Nietzche that I could see that with Nietzche's philosophy and Marx's theory, you had a pretty god starting point.
E-K, you help me answer Ms Uber's question.
Look how squalid most life is. Chlamydia, Nematode worms, Hagfish, Fungi.
Even higher forms like the Black Widow spider, the sloth etc.
How can one not LOVE human nature?
Human nature and the body and the brain and even the inherent insticts are truly amazing I agree. I was talking more about their base selfish and insular nature.
THis is romatic the way we keep following each other- or creepy depending on how one looks at it.
Yes, but this where I take the view that Evil is allegorial for the animal within, whereas Good is an inspiration to strive to trult be angelic, in the true meaning of that word.
Kind of Blake's vision too, I think.
Just as Man retains his vestigial animal nature, but has acquired a mastery over that that enables you and I, who've never met to exchange these- to an ape- unthinkable concepts, then so one day, we shall moved on from all our remaining animal natures and truly be the Superman Nietzche inspires us to strive for.
I think it's only creepy when one person does it.
If evil comes from the animal kingdom can it really be classified as evil ... surely then, there must only be goodness. That's what we must strive for.
Was the wolf really 'evil' or just wild?
Have dogs just learnt to harness goodness?
That is the whole allegory of the Tree of knowledge, David.
Be knowing ourselves and knowing our animal natures, we realised how to from that. That is how I see 'Good' , a movement forward, rather back.
Good=Forward to Superman
Evil=Back to animals
Of couse, you are right in the sense that the personifications of such concepts are unhelpful.
But Forward and backwards are as clear polarities as Good and Evil, so much so, it is valid to accept them as co-terminous, which I do.
As Nietzche did.
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