Tu Stultus Es, Part II
Moira
was the name given by the Greeks
to this realm of the incalculable
and of sublime and eternal limitedness;
and they set it round their gods
like a horizon beyond which they could neither see nor act,
—with that secret defiance of the gods
which one meets with in different nations;
the gods are worshiped,
but a final trump card is held in readiness
to play against them…
The case of Christianity was very different,…
Christianity commanded its disciples
to worship in the dust
the spirit of power,
and to kiss the very dust.
It gave the world to understand
that this omnipotent “realm of stupidity” was not so stupid
as it seemed, and that we,
on the contrary, were stupid
when we could not perceive that
behind this realm stood God Himself:
He who, although fond of dark, crooked and wonderful ways,
at last brought everything to a “glorious end.”
This new myth of God,
who had hitherto been mistaken
for a race of giants or Moira,
and who was now Himself the spinner and weaver of webs
and purposes even more subtle than those of our own intellect
—so subtle, indeed, that they appear to be incomprehensible
and even unreasonable
—this myth was so bold a transformation
and so daring a paradox
that the over-refined ancient world
could not resist it,
however extravagant and contradictory
the thing seemed…
In more modern times, indeed, the doubt has increased
as to whether the slate that falls from the roof
is really thrown by “Divine love,”
and mankind again
harks back to the old romance of giants and dwarfs.
Let us learn then, for it is time we did so,
that even in our supposed separate domain of aims and reason
the giants likewise rule.
And our aims and reason
are not dwarfs, but giants.
And our own webs
are just as often and as clumsily rent
by ourselves as by the slate.
And not everything is purpose
that is called purpose,
and still less is everything will
that is called will.
Daybreak by Friedrich Nietzsche, trans. by John McFarland Kennedy #130
I am still a religious person, despite my upbringing in Christian fundamentalism. The interest, the inclination toward ideas, rituals even – that focus upon the universal, the boundary-edges of awe remains with me. Even now as a secular humanist, feeling “put-off” by any formalized, institutional Christianity I am aware that I am changing. Secularism is not enough. This world, and one life is likely “enough,” but there is more to it than appears on the surface. Or so my better judgement tells me. Therefore I journey on.
I can never forget the dark days of Christian fundamentalism. Perhaps you know by first hand experience how it feels to receive the message over and over, “you are a worm before the all seeing eye of God.” There’s nothing you can do to remedy your essential nature. You’d be terminally ungrateful not to accept the remedy which God offers in the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. It makes me shiver to recall all of that. The self loathing, that “sinner feeling” which required years of on-and-off counseling to heal. The damage to the self incurred by kissing the very dust.
Nietzsche sketches the outlines of this grand reversal, the outrageous slight-of-hand which Christianity executes upon the “pagan” religions of antiquity. It’s not the unaccountable, chaotic realm of randomness, or accident that stands in opposition, as limit to the gods. Rather God, the all present, all seeing, all powerful, all (do fill in whatever category of transcendence you please) is inscrutable, beyond reason, his purposes beyond influencing. God himself is the wild, all knowing/powerful, and unaccountable surd. The absurd is hallmark of divinity. And you and I, why you are a sinful worm, inherently flawed, a stupid, stupid violator. What is to be done?! Hell, naturally.
The Greek or Roman pagan worshiped flat-footed, standing upright facing the altar of Zeus, Poseidon, or Demeter. By contrast the Christians of late antiquity prayed on their knees, with bowed heads. (Christians continue kneeling today.)
Tu stultus es. You are the stupid one!
That’s quite a reversal is it not! Moreover one definitely impossible to live with…
~*~
In the modern era, this 21st century one wonders whether the slate that falls from the roof, – maybe the diagnosis that you have stage 3 cancer, or the pink slip informing you that you no longer have employment, etc., is God’s will for you or me? The manifestation of disaster as a veiled lesson in God’s purpose for me… Incredulous!
In the 21st century the real lesson to be learned: humankind by no means is stupid, rather we are too smart for our own good. That it’s our hubris that has broken the borderline between sane living, ill proportioned purposes unmindful of other living systems, application of our scientific insight to maximize my personal power and profit… No mean dwarf am I, – we are the giants.
A giant that is clueless, with no idea of what it is doing!
This tune puts emphasis where it belongs. Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen. Why can’t we give love (and ourselves) one more chance? This is our last dance…
2 thoughts on “Tu Stultus Es, Part II”
A somewhat scattershot offering today. Not a bad thing but a lot to digest. Having been raised in a non- religious household I don’t have the same need to shed the dogma of religious doctrine. To me this is both beneficial and limiting. My understanding of the draw towards inclusion on the rituals of Christianity is almost negligible. And yet I also feel left out of the context of a greater understanding of the ethics of Western civilization since much of it is based on the standards as set forth by that same Christianity.
As to my take on the capacity for critical thinking by our species, I would have to disagree with your statement that humankind is by no means stupid. Homo sapiens have brought extraordinary reason to this life and yet at the same time, brought unnecessary suffering and cruelty to this planet as well. Individually perhaps people have an innate intelligence, but en masse, they display phenomenal stupidity. And as a social animal we may not be able to overcome that characteristic.
I agree, scattershot was the best I could do at the time. Maybe I’ll concentrate the matter, pare things down to a single point later today.
As you mentioned, we are limited by what we have known, and our understanding of other points of view becomes difficult. In my case, I wish that I had a better grasp of how persons with Buddhist backgrounds perceives the world. I cannot help but believe that perspective is critical if we are to “move ahead.”
What I wish to say: the Judeo-Christian emphasis on SIN comes as a bludgeon, inflicting damage upon self-hood, creating the very self-loathing which it describes. The human mammal is neither innocent nor evil, but in the attempt at survival capable of great magnificence or monstrous destruction. That is how I see it. Stupid – no. Clever, conniving, creative – most definitely!