Yeah, I was meaning to ask if you had seen through Nietzsche yet, but it turned out I didn't need to ask. He focused so intently on himself and on perfectible mortal individualism, that he neglected to inquire into the true possibility of his higher Self, compassion and the common good. Nietzsche - like Wagner - was indeed twisted by the Nazis into a caricature of his best thoughts; but that essential weakness of selfishness (and arrogant cognizance of his own genius) made it tantalizingly easy for the fascists to distort his message into the useless ugliness of hatred, cruelty and power-hunger they embodied. Sisyphus, you mean, of course! Happy in his eternal daily workout routine. And perhaps coincidentally, Nietzsche himself was diagnosed with syphilis at age 44, and died insane. Now the inherent Divinity of Nature is one major factor that, maybe twenty years ago, turned me from a more militant (but Scripturally-informed) atheist into whatever the hell it is I am today. On my hikes along the Blue Ridge, time and again I would come around a sharp turn on a ridge-line trail and suddenly the immaculate splendor of the hundred or two hundred yards of down-sloping trail ahead, the crisp physicality of the mountain air, the utter perfection of every quivering and shining leaf on every tree on all sides in the field of vision suddenly inspired my spirit - unplanned and unbidden - to speak forcefully to the sky with the most profound gratitude for the day, the Earth and the life upon it. It happened to me again and again; and to this day I am every day humbled by the immensity of the gift of even a single human lifetime, without any regard for whether anything whatsoever survives of "me" past my death. So anyway, rest assured every second of this gorgeous California day's hike with you on an upland trail is precious to me in ways that no words can express. I love the new longer formats, too, and seeing you blossom into the amazing new man you are becoming. It is a privilege and a delight to share your meditations and smell the mountain air in my mind's eye.
i think you meant “Sisyphus” but your other offering was hilarious; love your content!
😂 thank you for some reason my brain refuses to remember that name
Yeah, I was meaning to ask if you had seen through Nietzsche yet, but it turned out I didn't need to ask. He focused so intently on himself and on perfectible mortal individualism, that he neglected to inquire into the true possibility of his higher Self, compassion and the common good. Nietzsche - like Wagner - was indeed twisted by the Nazis into a caricature of his best thoughts; but that essential weakness of selfishness (and arrogant cognizance of his own genius) made it tantalizingly easy for the fascists to distort his message into the useless ugliness of hatred, cruelty and power-hunger they embodied.
Sisyphus, you mean, of course! Happy in his eternal daily workout routine. And perhaps coincidentally, Nietzsche himself was diagnosed with syphilis at age 44, and died insane.
Now the inherent Divinity of Nature is one major factor that, maybe twenty years ago, turned me from a more militant (but Scripturally-informed) atheist into whatever the hell it is I am today. On my hikes along the Blue Ridge, time and again I would come around a sharp turn on a ridge-line trail and suddenly the immaculate splendor of the hundred or two hundred yards of down-sloping trail ahead, the crisp physicality of the mountain air, the utter perfection of every quivering and shining leaf on every tree on all sides in the field of vision suddenly inspired my spirit - unplanned and unbidden - to speak forcefully to the sky with the most profound gratitude for the day, the Earth and the life upon it. It happened to me again and again; and to this day I am every day humbled by the immensity of the gift of even a single human lifetime, without any regard for whether anything whatsoever survives of "me" past my death.
So anyway, rest assured every second of this gorgeous California day's hike with you on an upland trail is precious to me in ways that no words can express. I love the new longer formats, too, and seeing you blossom into the amazing new man you are becoming. It is a privilege and a delight to share your meditations and smell the mountain air in my mind's eye.
Glad you’re enjoying the longer formats and I’m enjoying the blossoming as well!