Gav, Yes!
Marsha At 09:23 AM 7/25/2007, you wrote: >as i have referred to this passage several times in my >recent posts i thought i would offer it in its >entirety. >as some of you may know it is also a favourite passage >of campbell's. > >Of the three metamorphoses > >I name you three metamorphoses of the spirit: how the >spirit shall become a camel, and the camel a lion, and >the lion at last a child. > >There are many heavy things for the spirit, for the >strong weight-bearing spirit in which dwell respect >and awe: its strength longs for the heavy, for the >heaviest. > >What is heavy? thus asks the weight bearing spirit, >thus it kneels down like the camel and wants to be >well-laden. > >What is the heaviest thing, you heroes? so asks the >weight-bearing spirit, that i may take it upon me and >rejoice in my strength. > >Is it not this: to debase yourself in order to injure >your pride? to let your folly shine out in order to >mock your wisdom? > >Or is it this: to desert our cause when it is >celebrating its victory? To climb high mountains in >order to tempt the tempter? > >Or is it this: to feed upon the acorns and grass of >knowledge and for the sake of truth to suffer the >hunger of the soul? > >Or is it this: to be sick and send away comforters and >make friends with the deaf, who never hear what you >ask? > >Or is it this: to wade into dirty water when it is the >water of truth, and not to disdain cold frogs and hot >toads? > >Or is it this: to love those who despise us and to >offer our hand to the ghost when it wants to frighten >us? > >The weight-bearing spirit takes upon itself all these >heaviest things: like a camel hurrying laden into the >desert, thus it hurried into the desert. > >But in the loneliest desert the second metamorphosis >occurs: the spirit here becomes a lion; it wants to >capture freedom and be lord in its own desert. > >It seeks here its ultimate lord: it will be an enemy >to him and to its ultimate God, it will struggle for >victory with the great dragon. > >What is the great dragon which the spirit no longer >wants to call lord and God? The great dragon is called >'Thou Shalt'. but the spirit of the lion says 'I >Will!' > >'Thou Shalt' lies in its path, sparkling with gold, a >scale covered beast, and on every scale glitters >golden 'Thou shalt'. > >Values of a thousand years glitter on the scales, and >thus speaks the mightiest of all dragons: "All the >values of things glitter on me". > >"All values have already been created, and all created >values are in me. Truly there shall be no more "I >will!". Thus speaks the dragon. > >My brothers, why is the lion needed in the spirit? why >does the beast of burden, that renounces and is >reverent, not suffice? > >TO CREATE NEW VALUES - even the lion is incapable of >that: BUT TO CREATE THE FREEDOM FOR NEW CREATION - >that the might of the lion can do. > >To create freedom for itself and a sacred No even to >duty: the lion is needed for that, my brothers. > >To seize the right to new values - that is the most >terrible proceeding for a weight bearing and >reverential spirit. Truly, to this spirit it is a >theft and a work for an animal of prey. > >Once it loved this "Thou shalt" as its holiest thing: >now it has to find illusion and caprice even in the >holiest, that it may steal freedom from its love: the >lion is needed for this theft. > >But tell me brothers, what can the child do that even >the lion cannot? why must the preying lion still >become a child? > >The child is innocence and forgetfulness, a new >beginning, a sport, a self-propelling wheel, a first >motion, a sacred Yes. > >Yes, a sacred Yes is needed, my brothers, FOR THE >SPORT OF CREATION: the spirit now wills *its own* >will, the spirit sundered from the world now wins *its >own* world. > >I have named you the three metamorphoses of the >spirit: how the spirit becomes a camel, and the camel >a lion, and the lion at last a child. > >thus spake Zarathustra. >(capitals mine; asterisks demote Nietzsche's emphasis) > > Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
