"All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses."
Do what you logically know to be right, but pay attention to what your 5, or perhaps even 6 senses are telling you.
"Faith: not wanting to know what is true. "
Seek truth but don't just blindly follow something based on nothing but a label or preconception.
"He who has a strong enough why can bear almost any how."
If you have a powerful and meaningful motive for doing anything it makes any task or activity...including existing...much easier and more manageable.
"Not when truth is dirty, but when it is shallow, does the enlightened man dislike to wade into its waters."
Those seeking enlightenment would be wise to avoid shallowness and instead to put oneself as close to the depths of the abyss, or even of another person as possible. This may be the most frightening of options, but only there, in those dangerous and unknown depths is where enlightenment is. It can't be found by one who refuses to live dangerously by constantly choosing an existence of safety.
"One ought to hold on to one's heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too."
This is a warning rather than an instruction. He doesn't say that we should never give our heart away, but urges us towards caution in doing so. The heart is a somewhat fragile thing and shouldn't be given to just 'anyone' or eventually it will weaken and break, leaving one with an incompleteness that can never be satisfied. Nietzsche believes that readily giving one's heart away is not at all a logical decision, rather an illogical or somewhat irrational one. Nietzsche is simply pointing out the probable outcomes of certain choices and is not placing any value judgements here.
"The "kingdom of Heaven" is a condition of the heart - not something that comes "upon the earth" or "after death."
Peace/harmony/heaven etc, is not a reward at the end of life, but is in fact contained within this life. And if he asserts that it a condition of the heart, then he is implying that peace can only truly be found in the courage to risk the loss of one's head.
Do what you logically know to be right, but pay attention to what your 5, or perhaps even 6 senses are telling you.
"Faith: not wanting to know what is true. "
Seek truth but don't just blindly follow something based on nothing but a label or preconception.
"He who has a strong enough why can bear almost any how."
If you have a powerful and meaningful motive for doing anything it makes any task or activity...including existing...much easier and more manageable.
"Not when truth is dirty, but when it is shallow, does the enlightened man dislike to wade into its waters."
Those seeking enlightenment would be wise to avoid shallowness and instead to put oneself as close to the depths of the abyss, or even of another person as possible. This may be the most frightening of options, but only there, in those dangerous and unknown depths is where enlightenment is. It can't be found by one who refuses to live dangerously by constantly choosing an existence of safety.
"One ought to hold on to one's heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too."
This is a warning rather than an instruction. He doesn't say that we should never give our heart away, but urges us towards caution in doing so. The heart is a somewhat fragile thing and shouldn't be given to just 'anyone' or eventually it will weaken and break, leaving one with an incompleteness that can never be satisfied. Nietzsche believes that readily giving one's heart away is not at all a logical decision, rather an illogical or somewhat irrational one. Nietzsche is simply pointing out the probable outcomes of certain choices and is not placing any value judgements here.
"The "kingdom of Heaven" is a condition of the heart - not something that comes "upon the earth" or "after death."
Peace/harmony/heaven etc, is not a reward at the end of life, but is in fact contained within this life. And if he asserts that it a condition of the heart, then he is implying that peace can only truly be found in the courage to risk the loss of one's head.
2 comments:
I dig the Nietzsche. I've never read any so this is a nice little intro. Of course, everyone is familiar with "God is Dead", but for the rest of his works: I'm totally oblivious. I disagree with Mr. Nietzsche on the part of giving ones heart away though. He's basically cutting himself off from bliss. Life can't be all logic. It may make you mentally sharper, but it certainly won't make you more empathic. At the same time, it doesn't seem to make sense to be blissed out 24/7.
M,
Thanks for the post,
My pic out of the Quotes would be
"He who has a strong enough why can bear almost any how."
To have a strong sense of purpose is like a key to open up the universe, and each act that one does after this realization will consummate in to the "how"..
I have to compile a post on my favourite Quotes by N, so many of his revelations untold or uniterated..
peace \m/
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