Friedrich_Nietzsche - Untimely_Meditations_(Cambridge_Texts_in_the_History_of_Philosophy__1997)
Friedrich_Nietzsche - Untimely_Meditations_(Cambridge_Texts_in_the_History_of_Philosophy__1997) Friedrich_Nietzsche - Untimely_Meditations_(Cambridge_Texts_in_the_History_of_Philosophy__1997)
Schopenhauer as educatoranother, or that two continents are separated by an ocean, or that allarond it a religion is taught which did not yet exist a couple of thousandyears ago. All that is not you, it says to itself. No one can constructfor you the bridge upon which precisely you must cross thestream of life, no one but you yourself alone. There are, to be sure,countless paths and bridges and demi-gods which would bear youthrough this stream; but only at the cost of yourself: you would putyourself in pawn and lose yourself. There exists in the world a singlepath along which no one can go except you: whither does it lead? Donot ask, go along it. Who was it who said: 'a man never rises higherthan when he does not know whither his path can still lead him'?*But how can we find ourselves again? How can man know himself?He is a thing dark and veiled; and if the hare has seven skins,man can slough off seventy times seven and still not be able to say:'this is really you, this is no longer outer shell'. Moreover, it is a painfuland dangerous undertaking thus to tunnel into oneself and tofo rce one's way down into the shaft of one's being by the nearestpath. A man who does it can easily so hurt himself that no physiciancan cure him. And, moreover again, what need should there be fo rit, since everything bears witness to what we are, our friendships andenmities, our glance and the clasp of our hand, our memory and thatwhich we do not remember, our books and our handwriting. This,however, is the means by which an inquiry into the most importantaspect can be initiated. Let the youthful soul look back on life withthe question: what have you truly loved up to now, what has drawnyour soul aloft, what has mastered it and at the same time blessed it?Set up these revered objects before you and perhaps their nature andtheir sequence will give you a law, the fundamental law of your owntrue self. Compare these objects one with another, see how one completes,expands, surpasses, transfigures another, how they constitutea stepladder upon which you have clambered up to yourself as youare now; for your true nature lies, not concealed deep within you,but immeasurably high above you, or at least above that which youusually take yourself to be. Yo ur true educators and formativeteachers reveal to you that the true, original meaning and basicstuff of your nature is something completely incapable of beingeducated or formed and is in any case something difficult of access,bound and paralysed; your educators can be only your liberators."Oliver Cromwell, as quoted in Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay 'Circles'.Nietzsche read Emerson's Essays in G. Fabricus's German translation (1858) , acopy of which he owned and studied with great care.
Untimely MeditationsAnd that is the secret of all culture: it does not provide artificiallimbs, wax noses or spectacles - that which can provide these thingsis, rather, only sham education. Culture is liberation, the removal ofall the weeds, rubble and vermin that want to attack the tender budsof the plant, an outstreaming oflight and warmth, the gentle rustlingof nocturnal rain, it is imitation and worship of nature where natureis in her motherly and merciful mood, it is the perfecting of naturewhen it deflects her cruel and merciless assaults and turns them togood, and when it draws a veil over the expressions of nature's stepmotherlymood and her sad lack of understanding.Certainly there may be other means of finding oneself, of comingto oneself out of the bewilderment in which one usually wandersas in a dark cloud, but I know of none better than to think onone's true educators and cultivators. And so today I shall rememberone of the teachers and taskmasters of whom I can boast,Arthu'f Schopenhauer- and later on I shall recall others.2IJIf I am to describe what an event my first glance at Schopenhauer'swritings was for me, I must dwell for a moment on an idea whichused to come to me in my youth more pressingly, and more frequently,than perhaps any other. When in those days I roved as I pleasedthrough wishes of all kinds, I always believed that at some time fatewould take from me the terrible effort and duty of educating myself:I believed that, when the time came, I would discover a philosopherto educate me, a true philosopher whom one could follow withoutany misgiving because one would have more faith in him than onehad in oneself. Then I asked myself: what would be the principles bywhich he would educate you? - and I reflected on what he might sayabout the two educational maxims which are being hatched in ourtime. One of them demands that the educator should quicklyrecognize the real strength of his pupil and then direct all his effortsand energy and heat at them so as to help that one virtue to attaintrue maturity and fruitfulness. The other maxim, on the contrary,requires that the educator should draw forth and nourish all the forceswhich exist in his pupil and bring them to a harmoniosrelationship with one another. But should he who has a deidedinclination to be a goldsmith for that reason be forcibly compelled tostudy music? Is one to agree that Benvenuto Cellini's father was rightcontinually to force him to play the 'dear little horn' - 'that accursed130
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<strong>Untimely</strong> <strong>Meditations</strong>And that is <strong>the</strong> secret <strong>of</strong> all culture: it does not provide artificiallimbs, wax noses or spectacles - that which can provide <strong>the</strong>se th<strong>in</strong>gsis, ra<strong>the</strong>r, only sham education. Culture is liberation, <strong>the</strong> removal <strong>of</strong>all <strong>the</strong> weeds, rubble and verm<strong>in</strong> that want to attack <strong>the</strong> tender buds<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> plant, an outstream<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>light and warmth, <strong>the</strong> gentle rustl<strong>in</strong>g<strong>of</strong> nocturnal ra<strong>in</strong>, it is imitation and worship <strong>of</strong> nature where natureis <strong>in</strong> her mo<strong>the</strong>rly and merciful mood, it is <strong>the</strong> perfect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> naturewhen it deflects her cruel and merciless assaults and turns <strong>the</strong>m togood, and when it draws a veil over <strong>the</strong> expressions <strong>of</strong> nature's stepmo<strong>the</strong>rlymood and her sad lack <strong>of</strong> understand<strong>in</strong>g.Certa<strong>in</strong>ly <strong>the</strong>re may be o<strong>the</strong>r means <strong>of</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g oneself, <strong>of</strong> com<strong>in</strong>gto oneself out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bewilderment <strong>in</strong> which one usually wandersas <strong>in</strong> a dark cloud, but I know <strong>of</strong> none better than to th<strong>in</strong>k onone's true educators and cultivators. And so today I shall rememberone <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> teachers and taskmasters <strong>of</strong> whom I can boast,Arthu'f Schopenhauer- and later on I shall recall o<strong>the</strong>rs.2IJIf I am to describe what an event my first glance at Schopenhauer'swrit<strong>in</strong>gs was for me, I must dwell for a moment on an idea whichused to come to me <strong>in</strong> my youth more press<strong>in</strong>gly, and more frequently,than perhaps any o<strong>the</strong>r. When <strong>in</strong> those days I roved as I pleasedthrough wishes <strong>of</strong> all k<strong>in</strong>ds, I always believed that at some time fatewould take from me <strong>the</strong> terrible effort and duty <strong>of</strong> educat<strong>in</strong>g myself:I believed that, when <strong>the</strong> time came, I would discover a philosopherto educate me, a true philosopher whom one could follow withoutany misgiv<strong>in</strong>g because one would have more faith <strong>in</strong> him than onehad <strong>in</strong> oneself. Then I asked myself: what would be <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>ciples bywhich he would educate you? - and I reflected on what he might sayabout <strong>the</strong> two educational maxims which are be<strong>in</strong>g hatched <strong>in</strong> ourtime. One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m demands that <strong>the</strong> educator should quicklyrecognize <strong>the</strong> real strength <strong>of</strong> his pupil and <strong>the</strong>n direct all his effortsand energy and heat at <strong>the</strong>m so as to help that one virtue to atta<strong>in</strong>true maturity and fruitfulness. The o<strong>the</strong>r maxim, on <strong>the</strong> contrary,requires that <strong>the</strong> educator should draw forth and nourish all <strong>the</strong> forceswhich exist <strong>in</strong> his pupil and br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m to a harmoniosrelationship with one ano<strong>the</strong>r. But should he who has a deided<strong>in</strong>cl<strong>in</strong>ation to be a goldsmith for that reason be forcibly compelled tostudy music? Is one to agree that Benvenuto Cell<strong>in</strong>i's fa<strong>the</strong>r was rightcont<strong>in</strong>ually to force him to play <strong>the</strong> 'dear little horn' - 'that accursed130
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