grayness

One common false conclusion is that because someone is truthful and upright toward us he is speaking the truth. Thus the child believes his parents` judgments, the Christian believes the claims of the church's founders. Likewise, people do not want to admit that all those things which men have defended with the sacrifice of their lives and happiness in earlier centuries were nothing but errors. Perhaps one calls them levels of truth. Basically, however, one thinks that if someone honestly believed in something and fought for his belief and died it would be too unfair if he had actually been inspired by a mere error. Such an occurrence seems to contradict eternal justice. Therefore the hearts of sensitive men always decree in opposition to their heads that there must be a necessary connection between moral actions and intellectual insights. Unfortunately, it is otherwise, for there is no eternal justice. - Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human

I've not delved deeply into Mr. Nietzsche's works, but I ran across this quote, and I had to think- he states the obvious, but misses the point. Which is something which we all do at times.

What this quote brings into my mind is simply this- responsibility. Yeah, the universe may not come with "Justice included"- but you know what? We can make our own, and we can make it last. The sacrifice of lives and happiness by good people, whether inspired by an error, or not, can mean something even if the universe does not have the fundamental condition that it must mean something attached. We just have to add that meaning ourselves.

Some Assembly Required. And for this assembly, we do have to be "truthful and upright".

The hearts of sensitive men do not oppose their heads- the heart points the direction of the journey the head must plan.

There are plenty of philosophies, religions, and movements out there to which I do not subscribe. These can be conveniently grouped into the category "almost all of them". However, I can look through history, and spot good people- some even who would have fallen into a group I probably would have opposed. I can also spot jerks, or worse- some even in groups to which I might well have belonged. Then, there's also an invisible background noise of those who did their good or ill, and who are forgotten to history. They are still there, though.

I think somehow there is a continuity of good. That invisible background noise is louder all the time. Perhaps it's not so much noise, as the tuning an orchestra does, before it finally starts the symphony. We just have to keep it going. I think that's why we're here.

The problem, of course, lies in trying to determine what constitutes "the good", and what is irrelevant noise...

Still, let us carry the forgotten good with us while we sort through this all. I think I owe them that much, myself, and not being equal to the task alone, I hope you will, too.


So, anyhow, news. All the trees that blossomed in the spring (9 of the 10 planted) are still doing well, although some better than others. The apple trees are having to deal with the heat, insects, and the fact we are behind on rainfall, but they are still obviously gaining ground. The pecans and sycamores are doing even better. While the kudzu has completely overrun the field I cleared, I am still able to trek out with a weedeater to the individual trees every weekend and clear a radius around them so they do not get strangled. The moral of the story, I guess, is that in the war versus kudzu, mobility is as important as firepower. My sicklemower is useless, since the vines entangle the drive mechanism before I get 6 feet into the mass of kudzu.

Come fall, there will be more plowing and burning. I refuse to use chemicals, though. Nope, too close to my well, not going to happen, thank you very much.

All the cats are doing well, all things considered. I think I've managed to stop Mama Kitty's weight decline for the time being. I am making a dinner for her every evening now, taking chicken breast strips and cooking them in butter, then blending them up. I just have to be careful about how I serve to her. She doesn't eat as well when she eats alone, but if she eats with two many others, she is always too polite and lets the others crowd her out. So I now usually let one or two of her children in to share, and serve in a big pan, spread out so that everyone has room. Usually the ones I have eating with her are Claw and Bob, but Bob has made such a recovery from her brain tumor surgery that I may have to start watching what she eats again in the near future. Not quite yet, though.

Ok, I need to get my happy butt in gear and do some things to prove I have a little of Mr. Nietzsche's "will to power", and then get into work. But I'm going to leave you guys with a question...

Driving into work the other morning, I saw one of those ubiquitous church signs, with the message "The burden of life is love." Immediately the thought popped into my mind that they had gotten it precisely backwards- in other words, it strikes me that "The burden of love is life."

What do you think?