The Little Review, January 1915 (Vol. 1, No. 10)Various
General
The Little Review, January 1915 (Vol. 1, No. 10)
Various
Literature, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals
sure, this Zarathustra-love is to grow out beyond and above what we call
love to-day, what we call Christian love. There is to be a Beyond
Christianity. The new love will be as high above the old love as
Above-Man will be above man. Beyond-man means Beyond-love. How earnestly
and ominously does this preaching of a new love pierce like a sword into
the heart of our time! A new test of the worth or unworth of our moral
view of life! Were we even convinced that the best and purest features
of the old Christian love would re-appear in any new love, still the
question would not be elucidated—the question whether this old love
would thereby become new again, would become living again, save through
a storm of thunder and lightning that should purify the heavy, stuffy
atmosphere which has gathered about the word love itself.
You will know them by their fruits—of nothing is this so true as of
love. Where there is power, an effect must ensue, and in the effect, not
only the right of the power, but the kind as well, manifests itself.
Now, love wills to promote the life of another with its own life. Love
wills to do good to its object, to redress some wrong, supply some lack,
help some need, remedy some defect, and the like. Therefore, the fruits
of love are gifts—hence, _die schenkende Tugend_, the bestowing or the
giving virtue, of Nietzsche’s phrase. Accordingly, only a possessor can
give. Who possesses most—the rich—give most! Who needs gifts is poor,
and since poverty is great, becoming ever greater, gifts are needed to
meet the needs. Thus, human love has become the practice of
beneficence—the work of the rich by which they help the poor. The
greatness of benefactions, this becomes a criterion for the greatness of
love. We have but to think of the “foundations” and “benevolent funds”
and “charitable institutions” and “unions” for the care and keeping of
the poor, as well as of the incalculable sums which are given in private
for the relief of want, in order to be impressed with the “fruits” which
have grown on the tree of human love. How magnificent, how imposing
these “fruits” are! How much love there is in the world today, in this
world in which so much good is done! Who could doubt it? Who could deny
it? Who? Who but Friedrich Nietzsche!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account