IN-DER-WELT-SEIN

Nihilism in Nietzsche’s sense means that all goals are gone. Nietzsche has those goals in mind that grow of themselves and transform humans (whereunto?). Thinkingg in terms of ‘goals’ (the τεος of the Greeks that has long been misinterpreted) presupposes the ιδεα and ‘idealism.’ Therefore this “idealistic” and moralistic interpretation of nihilism remains provisional, in  spite of its importance. Directed toward the other beginning, nihilism must be grasped more fundamentally as the essential consequence of the abandonment of being. But how can this become know and be decided upon when what Nietzsche first experienced and thought as nihilism  has remained uncomprehended up to now and above all did not come into mindfulness? Partially misled by the form of Nietzsche’s manner of communication, on took cognizance of his “doctrine” of “nihilism” as an interesting cultural psychology. But already before doing so, one makes the sign of the cross in front of its truth, ie., openly or surreptitiously keeping it at a distance as devilish. For, according to enlightening consideration, where would we come to if that were and would be true? And one has no inkling that this very consideration, as well as the attitude and comportment toward beings that sustains this consideration, is the actual nihilism: One refuses to admit the goal-lessness. For this reason one suddenly “has goals” again – even if it only means that what in any case can be a means for setting up and pursuing goals is itself raised to a goal: the people, for example. And therefore the greatest nihilism is precisely where one believes to have goals again, to be “happy,” to attend to making equally available the “cultural values” (movies and seaside resort vacations) to all the “people”) – in this drunken stupor of “lived-experience” – precisely there is the greatest nihilism: methodically disregarding human goal-lessness, being always ready to avoid every goal-setting decision, anxiety in the face of every domain of decision and its opening. Anxiety in the face of be-ing has never been greater than today. Proof for this is the gigantically organized event for shouting down this anxiety. The essential mark of “nihilism” is not whether churches and monastaries are destroyed and people are murdered, or whether this does not happen and “Christianity” can go its ways; rather, what is crucial is whether one knows and wants to know that precisely this tolerating of Christianity and Christianity itself – the general talk of “providence” and “the Lord God,” however sincere individuals may be – are merely pretexts and perplexities in that domain which one does not want to acknowledge and to allow to count as the domain of decision about be-ing or not be-ing. The most disastrous nihilism consists in passing oneself off as protector of Christianity on the basis of social accomplishments. The dangerousness of this nihilism consists in its being completely hidden and in distinguishing itself, sharply and rightfully, from what one could call crude nihilism (eg., Bolshevism). However, what is ownmost to nihilism holds indeed so much to the abgound (because it reaches deeply into the truth of be-ing and into the decision about that truth) that precisely these opposing forms can and must belong to nihilism. And therefore it also seems as if nihilism, thoroughly calculated in its entirety, is unsurmountable. When two extreme opposing forms o nihilism necessarily and most acutely do battle with each other, then this battle leads in one way or another to the victory of nihilism, ie, to its renewed consolidation and presumably in such a  form as to forbid one event to suggest that nihilism is still at work.

Be-ing has so thoroughly abandoned beings and submitted them to machination and “lived-experience” that those illusive attempts at rescuing Western culture and “all culture-oriented politics” must necessarily become the most insidious and thus the highest form of nihilism. And that is a process that is not connected to individual humans and their actions and doctrines but rather merely pushes forth what is ownmost to nihilism into the purest form granted to it. Of course, to be mindful of this process already requires a standpoint which avoids attributing a deception, about what they achieve, to all “the good,” “the progressive,” and “the gigantic,” as well as avoids a sheer desperation which simply cannot yet close its eyes to total meaninglessness. This standpoint, which grounds space and time anew for itself, is Da-sein, on whose ground be-ing itself as refusal and thus as en-owning attains knowing awareness for the first time. The preparation for the overcoming o f nihilism begins with the fundamental experience that man as founder of Da-sein is used by the godhood of the other god. But what is most imperative and most difficult regarding this overcoming is the awareness of nihilism.

This awareness dare not get bogged down in either the word or in an initial elucidation of what is meant (by nihilism) in Nietzsche. Instead this awareness must recognize the abandonment of being as essential sway.

Quick Thought: If one understands that our culture is now in a time of uncertaintly and perhaps danger,  and that one comes to see the situation out of the difficulty of one’s own experience, that is one’s own lostness or anxiousness and the pain, lack of orientation and senslessness herein, then one has to ask the question: ‘What to do?’

Rejecting or throwing in the towel or taking-up arms in some radical way is bound to fail because the whole world is against you (also, this way just throws fuel on the fire and feeds what is causing the pain in a very tricky manoeuvre).  Taking on the world in such a way leads to exlusion and isolation. It is not a healthy engagement. It is picking a fight. It also can lead one to have a painful existence, and here violence, anger, madness, addiction, depression or other poor behavoir can easily take over and make a mess.

Just drifting along and pretending not to notice or to disengage is not a good option either.

Nor is just sitting around thinking about the state of things or commenting on this or that or offering up opinions. There needs to be action and not arguements and debates.  (Action or tasks unfolding but not aggressive, combative or domineering. It has to be more of a subtle just going about and showing and if it is close enough to show, it works).

Insightful thinkers speak about nurturing the ‘little things’ and taking them up in one’s existence. To the ‘little things’ can be addd the ‘forgetten’ or ‘ignored’ or ‘unseen’ things or ways. Somehow incorportating these into one’s existence and making a space for them and bringing them about will be a means to being in some way fulfilled or soothed in some respects. Picking-up the little, forgotten, unseen things (little, forgetten, ignored and unseen because we are in a culture that does not help us see them with appreciation) happens when they are understood as meaningful and worthy of attention.

Saying and doing different! It is difficult to figure out how move forward and make a richer life and not just talk about doing so. It is not good enough.

Industrialized agriculture has led to a situation in which good food practices have been lost, in which chemicals and other unpleasant elements have entered into food and bodies causing harm, in which the land and environment have been poorly used and polluted. Industrialized agriculture is big business. It is political.

Two or three entire generations have been subjected to the eating and food habits of industrial agriculture. The result has been alarming. Now, there is the push away from the harmful aspects that industrialized agriculture has induced.  That is, there is a push against it, which is a push away, which is a gaining/taking of distance, which will allow a change in relation. And not just to the practices and products of  industrialized agriculture and commercialized, processed food products. It will bring about, or be in conjunction with, a wide range of changes – big and small -  in how ‘humans’ understand themselves and go about being themselves.  There is hope in the very subtle, everyday, unintelliculatized, perhaps even unspoken, shifts in practice.

Will it be similar with technology? Is the recognition of the unpleasant/harmful effects  (there are benefits,  of course) of industrial agriculture  a sign that technology in general will come into question? It is hoped so. Yet, if so, slowly, and perhaps also painfuly, as technology and its way and understanding are seductive and have warped experience in a very interesting way.

Will ‘humans’ step back from it? Certainly not in the meanwhile. Too many ‘human’ cultures are just getting absorbed by it (picking-it-up) and so much more is on the way to amaze people. However, as the glimmer fades, and people come to see the type of relations, habits and practices supported (or not) by  technology, will there be a similar push away?

It is a very quick thought, but industrialized agriculture and digital technology will engender a similar backlash against ‘T’echnology which just is a movement of ‘correction’, so to say, or taking back, which is a finding. Again, the push away is a gaining (or taking) of distance and in taking a distance there is a regaining of ground and a coming closer.  There will be a push away because it is the very being of ‘man’ that pushes.

† Quick Thoughts are in fact just busts of thought or streams of consciousness and should not be taken with great seriousness. That is, the ‘thought’ (if there is one) is not ‘thought-out’. It is not re-worked  to give it flesh or make it ‘deeper’ or more relevatory to what is thought in the thinking.  Nor is it gussied-up and dressed in presentable grammer and syntax.  This type of instant blurting-out is what a blog  (aweful word, no?) seems to be all about, really;  just blurting out comments to whomever for whatever attention seeking. For good or for ill.