Awakened this morning in a foul mood.  Can’t blame the low blood sugar because breakfast didn’t help my attitude.  I attempted listening to NPR, feeling more troubled, enraged by an interview with an elected member of Congress from Oklahoma.  The man smug and self-righteous, asserted that he would cast his vote to support the President’s intent to build a wall on the border with Mexico.  I changed the station.  I felt the rage build, –that a monument to racism, a grand gesture of Nationalism could soon be enacted on our southern border.  Forget about the monuments to Confederate dead, this one is to be the mother of all monuments.  What it stands for will be unmistakable.

I listened to the oldies for a few minutes, and finished breakfast.  It would not be a good idea to volunteer to serve on a firing squad. 

Rage has a quality of self-righteousness.  Rage is like a sharp blade, it divides, clarifies and settles matters.  Though, when acted upon the settlement involves death, and the sensation of purity is illusion.  I know better, or so I thought.  But do I?  It seems so easy, convenient to reach for the gun.  Many do, while hiding behind endless blather about their second amendment rights.

Strangely in my morning reading of Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra, I read the story of a conversation between Zarathustra, and a young idealist which took place under a tall solitary tree standing on a hill.  The two were sitting under the tree, and they began to converse.  The young man was troubled about the evils of the world, and as he spoke began to weep.

Zarathustra, however, put his arm about him, and led the youth away with him. 

And when they had walked a while together, Zarathustra began to speak thus:

It is an extended conversation which I will not convey in full.  Here are is the gist:

….by my love and hope I wish for you: cast not your love and hope away!

You feel nobility within yourself as do others.  They misunderstand you and cast evil looks your way.  Know this, that to everyone a noble one stands in the way.

Also, to the good within, a noble one stands in the way; and even when they call him a good man, the noble side of you wants to put the good away. 

A new world would the noble create, and a new virtue.  The old world wants the “good” man, so that the old will be conserved. 

The noble man does not run the danger of turning aside the good man, ——but that he should become a blusterer, a scoffer, or a destroyer. 

Ah yes, I have known noble ones who have lost their highest hope.  And then they disparaged all high hopes.

Then they lived shamelessly in evanescent pleasures, and beyond the day, scarcely had an aim.

“Spirit is also voluptuousness,” they rationalized.  Then broke the wings of their spirit; and now it creeps about, and contaminates whatever it gnaws upon.

Once they thought of becoming heroes; but they are sensualists now.  The hero is a trouble and a terror to them.

But by my love and hope I wish for you: cast not away the hero in your soul!  Maintain holy your highest hope!

Thus spake Zarathustra.

—Excerpt Thus Spake Zarathustra, 8 The Tree on the Hill by Friedrich Nietzsche

The words written by Nietzsche were timely, like a prescription, something that I needed.  I am grateful.

And finally, this anthem of triumph written and performed by David Bowie.

Heroes

by David Bowie

I, I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins
Like dolphins can swim

Though nothing, nothing will keep us together
We can beat them, forever and ever
Oh, we can be heroes just for one day

I, I will be King
And you, you will be Queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be heroes just for one day
We can be us just for one day

I, I can remember
(I remember)
Standing by the wall
(By the wall)
And the guns, shot above our heads
(Over our heads)
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall
(Nothing could fall)

And the shame, was on the other side
Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever
Then we could be heroes just for one day

We can be heroes
We can be heroes
We can be heroes just for one day
We can be heroes

Songwriters: Brian Eno / David Bowie