Confession Of A Late Refugee
Again I viewed night three of the televised speeches from the Democratic National Convention. As anticipated the parade of celebrities was preliminary to the headliner, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. Walz’ nomination acceptance speech was a praise anthem to middle-class America.
Does anyone know what “this” is anymore? Middle class is no longer cleanly defined. The defining boundaries have been erased beginning with the Vietnam war, the first of several failed wars of colonial domination. The same with “American values”. The term is uncomfortably shallow, amorphous to me. “American values” were referenced many times in the speeches of the evening.
Such terms are a giving heed to the past, a look-back, as if it is possible to reclaim, to revivify what is passing. Trumpist-Republican devotees are criticized for their language, “make America great again,” MAGA as an unrealistic fantasy, a transparent and immoral bid to oppress women, to revive anti-immigrant fever.
Democrats too must cease any attempt to resurrect corpses from the past.
Can we move past a class-based society and world? Climate warming is laying siege to our coastline states. Let’s talk about moving away from a hydrocarbon-based society and world. Nature has placed that on the agenda and will not be denied. Let us begin a serious conversation.
I intend to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. I insist though, that the discourse of our leaders have a point, beyond a transparent emotivism.
Today’s Nietzsche quotation encompasses his complaint that the English as a people had no soul, no rhythm, no pattern and flow in their minds and hearts. Further, they were clueless, absent any awareness of what was missing, any desire to learn, a will to apprenticeship in dance and timing. Additionally Nietzsche envisioned an entirely new music, a form which moved beyond the familiar rules and limitations of the past, a “tune” beyond “good and evil.” Granted occasionally one will be reminded, even momentarily lament the past. Nostalgia, homesickness – if obsessed over, is weakness.
We all are late refugees of a receding America are we not? We live there no longer. We must create a new world!
But what is offensive
in even the most humane Englishman
is his lack of music,
speaking metaphorically
(and without metaphors –):
there is no dance or timing
in the movement of his soul and his body,
not even a desire for dance or timing, for “music.”
Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche, trans. by Judith Norman, aphorism 252
I could imagine a music
whose rarest magic consisted
in no longer knowing anything of good and evil
– although, perhaps,
some sailor’s homesickness, some golden shadow
and delicate weakness might run across it every now and then:
an art that would see colors flying towards it
from a setting moral world
– a distant world that had become almost incomprehensible
– and would be hospitable and profound enough
to receive such late refugees. –
Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche, trans. by Judith Norman, aphorism 254
2 thoughts on “Confession Of A Late Refugee”
Is this not the same discussion we have had over and over? That language, in the ultimate parlance of precise communication, has very little meaning and that it is open to interpretation and is rarely agreed upon with regard to exact notions.
And so the cliches used by politicians are just as viable (or useless) in communicating specifics as any other form of communication. In addition, we live in a time when most folks are incredibly sensitive to succinct verbiage. If whatever a politician might claim doesn’t fit with the preexisting narrative in a person’s mind, they will react negatively. So the most useful concept for bringing people into one’s political camp is not to really say anything, but make them think you’ve said something. For instance, by spouting a line incorporating the term “American Values”, the speaker can remain vague and allow their audience to interpret it any way they want. Trump is the master at never declaring anything of substance. It’s all blathering nonsense, but his followers eat it up and construct whatever makes them feel good out his idiotic ramblings.
And so goes the world.
We ought to dream of a day when Americans will subscribe to a loosely defined short list of values. I think that is what M. L. King had in mind. There is much work to be done, especially now, since it is realistic to think that most of the ground gained can be lost in a single national election. Actually a coherent set of shared values will be the quest of several generations as such matters change slowly, and must be cultivated. We must press on in full knowledge that the opposition will show us no quarter if they prevail.