One kind of man will risk nothing,
another wants risks.
Are we others contemptuous of life?

On the contrary,
we instinctively seek life raised to a higher power,
life lived in danger—
but that, to repeat it, does not mean we want to be
more virtuous than others.
Pascal, for example, wanted to risk nothing;
he remained a Christian;
perhaps that was virtuous?

–Excerpt The Will to Power, II, bk. 4, §518 by Friedrich Nietzsche

Does it come down to temperament?  What is temperament?  Is temperament that essential angle-of-view and action by which one lives, a product of the constraints that are presented to the child?  In the first months of life, those months when language is learned and one responds to the hard edged limit of things, – even more direful, to other homo sapiens…

What lesson does one “take away” from the maze, the gauntlet of survival?  Does one learn “to-be-good” is a fruitful approach to survival?  Does life come down to virtue?  Or does one conclude testing the limits, exploring what might-be-possible, results in receipt of what one needs?  Temperament is nascent, formed prior to any recollection.  Is temperament the canvas upon which we paint our response of form and color, to our place and time?

Is temperament a matter of paint-by-number?  Or does temperament come down to improvisation?  Either way the project is “in progress,” incomplete — until you and I take our very last breath.

Nietzsche, thought virtue to be over rated.

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What tune shall we depend upon as we journey on today?  I like this one by Blondie, Heart of Glass.

Heart Of Glass

By Blondie

Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find
Mucho mistrust, love’s gone behind

Once I had a love and it was divine
Soon found out I was losing my mind
It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind
Mucho mistrust, love’s gone behind

In between
What I find is pleasing and I’m feeling fine
Love is so confusing there’s no peace of mind
If I fear I’m losing you it’s just no good
You teasing like you do

Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find
Mucho mistrust, love’s gone behind

Lost inside
Adorable illusion and I cannot hide
I’m the one you’re using, please don’t push me aside
We could’ve made it cruising, yeah

Yeah, riding high on love’s true bluish light

Once I had a love and it was a gas
[album version:] Soon turned out to be a pain in the ass
[radio version:] Soon turned out I had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing only to find
Mucho mistrust, love’s gone behind

[radio version additional verse:]
In between
What I find is pleasing and I’m feeling fine
Love is so confusing there’s no peace of mind
If I fear I’m losing you it’s just no good
You teasing like you do

Lyrics by Deborah Harry, Chris Stein