43

If one shifts the center of gravity of life
out of life
into the ‘Beyond’ – into nothingness
one has deprived life as such of its center of gravity.
The great lie of personal immortality
destroys all rationality, all naturalness of instinct,
all that is salutary, all that is life-furthering,
all that holds a guarantee of the future in instincts
henceforth excites mistrust.
So to live that there is no longer any meaning in living:
that now becomes the ‘meaning’ of life…..
What is the point
of public spirit, what is the point of gratitude
for one’s descent and one’s forefathers,
what is the point of co-operation, trust,
of furthering and keeping in view the general welfare?…

‘Salvation of the soul’ – in plain words: ‘the world
revolves around me.’…..
Christianity is a revolt of everything
that crawls along the ground
directed against that which is elevated:
the gospel of the ‘lowly’ makes low….

— excerpt The Anti-Christ, by Friedrich Nietzsche

Imagine the effect if gravity were suddenly ‘switched off’…  Imagine a universal release of the mass of the earth, a disconnection of everything due to the centering, anchor-effect of the earth.  Space would no longer be folded inward, invested with attraction due to the spherical mass of our earth.  My coffee cup would float free of the desktop.  That would be a mild irritant, compared to the effect of weightlessness upon the house, our necessary shelter.  Anything not fastened in place by nail, staple, or adhesive would disconnect, floating, unattached …  Would part of the deck dislodge from the house, disjointed at a crazy angle…?

The importance of ‘the center of gravity of life’ is highlighted in these lines.  The writer, Friedrich Nietzsche, asserts that the mindset of Christianity removes the gravitational center of life, away from this life, — to the beyond, to life-after-this-life, the salvation of the soul.  Nietzsche writes clearly, bluntly describing the consequences of a focus upon soul-salvation, and the after-life upon this life.  To render this life absent of meaning, is to render pointless a sense of connection the traits, gifts received due to genetic lineage.  Personality, inclination, temperament, there is nothing of value there, as one must anticipate the souls salvation in the afterlife.  A sense, the instinct of connection to one’s ancestors is thereby lost.  There is no longer a point in what is owed to our ancestors.

The greatest of consequence, according to Nietzsche, is a universal, unending leveling of all humanity.  Everyone, and everyone’s contribution is of the same value, because all souls are equally valuable, are they not?  The cretin (stupid person) deserves equal regard as the individual of extraordinary accomplishment.  Reading such words I sense Nietzsche’s bewilderment, and dismay.  I know without doubt, know very well that the value of a human being comes down to character formation.  The inner strength, the structure of personality is manifested in a process of integrity formation, patient cultivation of faithfulness in relationship, learning how to say ‘yes’ and how to say ‘no’ over the arc of a lifetime.  Some of us change the world in salutary ways, and others, the world would have been better off, if they never had been born.

I do have a point and I mean it to be identical to Nietzsche’s point.  These matters come to mind, as the Trump-Orc army continues to march, to lay siege to our institutions.  These must be defended, or they will fall.

But how?

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Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is the tune that goes with this post.  Listen, — enjoy the beauty, and the tragedy.

Bohemian Rhapsody

By Queen

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality.

Open your eyes,
Look up to the skies and see,
I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,
Because I’m easy come, easy go,
Little high, little low,
Any way the wind blows doesn’t really matter to me, to me.

Mama, just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead.
Mama, life had just begun,
But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away.

Mama, ooh,
Didn’t mean to make you cry,
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow,
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters.

Too late, my time has come,
Sends shivers down my spine,
Body’s aching all the time.
Goodbye, everybody, I’ve got to go,
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.

Mama, ooh (Any way the wind blows),
I don’t want to die,
I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all.

I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?
Thunderbolt and lightning very, very frightening me.
(Galileo) Galileo.
(Galileo) Galileo,
Galileo Figaro
Magnifico-o-o-o-o.

I’m just a poor boy, nobody loves me.
He’s just a poor boy from a poor family,
Spare him his life from this monstrosity.

Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go. (Let him go!)
Bismillah! We will not let you go. (Let him go!)
Bismillah! We will not let you go. (Let me go!)
Will not let you go. (Let me go!)
Never let you go (Never, never, never, never let me go)
Oh oh oh oh
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Oh, mama mia, mama mia (Mama mia, let me go.)
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me.

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
Oh, baby, can’t do this to me, baby,
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here.

(Ooooh, ooh yeah, ooh yeah)

Nothing really matters,
Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters,
Nothing really matters to me.

Any way the wind blows…

Written by Freddie Mercury

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Yeah, the song makes no straight forward sense.  The tune mirrors life.   The tune, six-minute suite of opera rock about a young man who’s killed someone, sold his soul to Devil and wants to know if Scaramouche can do the Fandango – remains one of Queen’s most popular works and is placed on lists of the greatest songs of all time. (Scaramouche is a stock clown character of Italian literature. Fandango is a lively couples dance from Spain.)