![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Dec. 14th, 2002 12:58 pm "The person who cannot set himself down at the crest of the moment, forgetting everything from the past, who is not capable of standing on a single point, like a goddess of victory, without dizziness of fear, will never know what happiness is."
Nietzsche, On the Use and Abuse of History for Life.
While somewhat contrary to the obsessive ruminations that seems to form the core of many LJers, I do find this essay fascinating because it illuminates a view of the world that I have actually observed within my life these past few months. I have stated, and still believe, that life is an endless series of discoveries (although that nasty little package you unwrap at the end: DEATH, does kind of suck), and it would appear, from reading this essay, that my perspective would fall into the realm of a historical standpoint, a viewpoint that Nietzsche somewhat smugly dismisses as
"And from the dregs of life hope to receive,
What the first sprightly running could not give."
Hmmm. Okay. I guess. Hard to find a happy ending from that perspective. The viewpoint that Steven had outlined previously, however, appears to stem from the superhistorical: you essentially careen through life like a pinball, from one series of heartbreaks to another, punctuated only by brief moments of happiness or, at least, passion.
I'm only a quarter into the piece, but am currently comforted by the following: "For we will happily concede that the superhistorical people possess more wisdom than we do, so long, that is, as we may be confident that we possess more life than they do." I'll pin down that "we"...
Nietzsche, On the Use and Abuse of History for Life.
While somewhat contrary to the obsessive ruminations that seems to form the core of many LJers, I do find this essay fascinating because it illuminates a view of the world that I have actually observed within my life these past few months. I have stated, and still believe, that life is an endless series of discoveries (although that nasty little package you unwrap at the end: DEATH, does kind of suck), and it would appear, from reading this essay, that my perspective would fall into the realm of a historical standpoint, a viewpoint that Nietzsche somewhat smugly dismisses as
"And from the dregs of life hope to receive,
What the first sprightly running could not give."
Hmmm. Okay. I guess. Hard to find a happy ending from that perspective. The viewpoint that Steven had outlined previously, however, appears to stem from the superhistorical: you essentially careen through life like a pinball, from one series of heartbreaks to another, punctuated only by brief moments of happiness or, at least, passion.
I'm only a quarter into the piece, but am currently comforted by the following: "For we will happily concede that the superhistorical people possess more wisdom than we do, so long, that is, as we may be confident that we possess more life than they do." I'll pin down that "we"...
