Monday. Easter weekend recedes. Pope Francis died. Everyone dies. What one does to create oneself concludes at the moment of death. Game over…

This New York Times headline struck me as more portentous however:

Republicans in half a dozen states, including Idaho and Michigan, have introduced resolutions urging the Supreme Court to reconsider same-sex marriage.

This, this type of measure, is a consequence of “stick-up-the-ass” self-righteousness. No doubt the supporters of these resolutions believe they are doing God’s work, – cleansing society of impurity, banning sinful activities, demonstrating faithful obedience to their wrathful deity. Chosen Ones believe reality is binary, right or wrong, male or female, full stop. When one believes like this, it feels like everyone else is obliged to believe. Disagree? Then deserve to be bound to a stake.

Shame upon such dark intention!

The passage chosen for consideration today has insights for you, if you are in a position to do the difficult work of self-creation. I mean the patient reviewing of one’s loves and hates, to begin a reorganization of the file cabinet of the psyche. It just takes a lot of time. The work is heavy-lifting, something you cannot do in a crowd, playing the hail-fellow-well-met. Who wants to be a recluse? Popularity is normal. Who doesn’t like to be liked? Who/what am I anyway? Sometimes a wizard, a doubter, a heretic, sometimes a fool? What God will be created from my demons?

Be on your guard, also,
against holy simplicity!
All is unholy to it that is not simple;
rather, likewise, would it play with the fire
— of the fagot and stake.

And be on your guard, also,
against the assaults of your love!
Too readily does the recluse reach his hand
to anyone who meets him.

To many a one may you not give your hand,
but only your paw;
and I wish your paw
also to have claws.

But the worst enemy you can meet,
will you yourself always be;
you waylay yourself in caverns and forests.
You lonesome one, you go the way to yourself!
And past yourself and your seven devils leads your way!

A heretic will you be to yourself,
and a wizard and a soothsayer, and a fool,
and a doubter, and a reprobate, and a villain.

Ready must you be
to burn yourself in your own flame;
how could you become new
if you have not first become ashes!

You lonesome one,
you go the way of the creating one:
a God will you create for yourself
out of your seven devils!

You lonesome one,
you go the way of the loving one:
you love yourself,
and on that account despise you yourself,
as only the loving ones despise.

To create, desires the loving one,
because he despises!
What knows he of love who has not been obliged
to despise just what he loved!

With your love, go into your isolation,
my brother, and with your creating;
and late only will justice limp after you.

With my tears, go into your isolation, my brother.
I love him who seeks to create beyond himself,
and thus succumbs.

–Thus spoke Zarathustra.

Thus Spake Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche, trans. by Thomas Common, The Way of Creating One No 17