Still
Even the most harmful man
may really be the most useful
when it comes to the preservation of the species;
for he nurtures either in himself or in others, through his effects,
instincts without which humanity would long have become feeble or rotten.
Hatred, the mischievous delight in the misfortunes of others,
the lust to rob and dominate,
and whatever else is called evil
belongs to the most amazing economy of the preservation of the species.
To be sure, this economy is not afraid of high prices, of squandering,
and it is on the whole extremely foolish.
Still it is proven that
it has preserved our race
so far…
For the present, the comedy of existence
has not yet become conscious of itself.
For the present, we still live in the age of tragedy,
the age of moralities
and religions.
— excerpt The Gay Science. Book One, p. 73-74, by Friedrich Nietzsche, pub. 1887, trans. by Walter Kaufmann
How do I take the measure of Friedrich Nietzsche, to form a capacious assessment of his point of view? Nietzsche, his writings continue to bedevil his readers. Many scholarly works have been, will be written in response.
There is no need that you and I care about anything that Nietzsche wrote. Additional ‘experts’ are unnecessary. We have enough already. The more awake that one is, the more aware you and I will become of the persistent quality of human experience which Nietzsche wrote about.
Today is Tuesday of Holy Week. Donald J. Trump will answer to a judge in a lower Manhattan courtroom for criminal charges as the indictment is unsealed.
It’s as if we all are in a small boat, Ahab is in the bow, a harpoon in his hand. According to the ancient script, what matters: that the harpoon iron pierce the hide of the great white whale.
The comedy of existence in an age of tragedies, moralities and religions…