555. We ought to avoid events
when we know that even the least important of them
frequently enough leave a strong impression upon us
—and these we cannot avoid.

—The thinker must possess
an approximate canon of all the things
he still wishes to experience.

These three aphorisms, or put differently, pearls of wisdom come near to the end of this summation of Nietzsche’s developing thought. Our thinking ought always to be movement, a never finished response to our world. If you are reading this, it is likely that you agree.

The quotation offers good reason for a severe choice of what one allows oneself to experience. What experiences are certain to advance my particular interests, my reflection upon what I love the most? Those I must insist upon. Why? Simply stated: life is short, too short. Death is long.

556. a. honest towards ourselves,
and to all and everything friendly to us;

b. brave in the face of our enemy;

c. generous towards the vanquished;

d. polite at all times:

such do the four cardinal virtues
wish us to be.

These set a high bar of comportment, a style of behavior in four distinct contexts. a. Honesty is difficult to achieve. I have become a master of self deception. To continue to strive for clarity of thought, first of all with myself concerning what I fear the most, then about what is most important to me… b. I as well as those that care for me, whom I care for, have enemies, before whom courage alone makes sense. Anything less encourages the enemy! c. Generosity toward anyone who has fallen on the wrong side of fortune is a sign that I am still human. (The future is uncertain. I could be on the wrong side of that line tomorrow.) d. Behaving, acting with a sense of propriety, ‘be polite’, is always a mark of good taste.

557. How pleasant
is the sound of even bad music
and bad motives
when we are setting out
to march against an enemy!

This thought aids me to feel empathy for my Trump/Republican fellow Americans. Bad music (Lee Greenwood’s anthem, God Bless the USA), and righteous indignation for ‘the Libs’ naturally are self affirming. Rageful vengeance feels so good as a focus of one’s cornucopia of resentment.  After all each of us has his/her basket of regrets: guilt over our failures, shame about the opportunities that I missed, etc., etc..

The Dawn of Day by Friedrich Nietzsche, trans. by J. M. Kennedy, originally published 1911

How about some good music? This one by David Bowie and Freddie Mercury endures, played often on the radio as a expression of truth about life. Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen. Rest in peace gentlemen.