Henry, is it really that simple to find the truth by asking what the majority thinks and concluding that the opposite is true? I hesitate to argue like this: the majority of Germans have never heard of either CZ or EJ, would not understand a whit of the historical and moral situation CZ found himself in and would not care a damn about his "squealing" [did he?] on his friends---and likeweise hesitate to decide on these grounds that CZ must have done wrong (or right). To my mind, the Ibsen maxim smacks of bitterness and resentment. I prefer to make my judgments, moral and logical, on the basis of my bestes Wissen and Gewissen, and I believe that statistical considerations are irrelevant to the quest for truth. Your praise of Canada intrigues me, and I would like to know more about your reasons for liking your country that much. G.R. Henry T. Malon schrieb: > Dear Guenter: > > I genuinelly appreciated your remarks, and your thoughtfulness mailing me the > Zuckmayer Juenger documentation. The affirmation of my viewpoint that > Zuckmayer's account of Juenger would be positive - made my day. It is human > to pine for appreciation and gentleness. Your mother should be proud of you. > Furthermore, your position on the rationale of Zuckmayer to squeal on his > friends, will indubitably gain the concurrence of most compatriots - but > that does not make it right. The majority is always wrong. > The majority of the members of The Nobel Prize Committee awarded the > Nobel Prize in Literature to Guenther Grass; the majority of Germans do not > read books; the majority of Germans do not pray; most Germans have never > heard about Ernst Juenger; most Germans do not know that the man from > Braunau am Inn was never elected to be their leader; most Germans are > overweight; most Germans prefer Best-Sellers ( Kitsch) to a challenging good > book; most Germans love Harry Potter; most Germans do not have a clue about > Schiller, Kant, Nietzsche, Grillparzer, George, C. Gustav Jung, Gutzkow. > Most Germans worship Marcel Reich-Ranicki, - who never prays. Though German > federal governments of the past few decades have preached the "Collective > Guilt" - most Germans do not share that disposition. Most Germans do not go > to Church on Sunday. Hardly anybody under forty goes to church or prays. > Hendrik Ibsen (1828--1906) , a Norwegian dramatist , greatly admired by > Sigmund Freud, wrote: " The majority is never in the right, never I say! > That's just one of those deeply entrenched social fallacies which > enlightened people have to fight against. After all, who constitutes the > majority in any country, the wise or the fools? I think you would have to > admit that all the world over, the fools are in absolute and overwhelming > majority. But in God's name, you can't honestly suggest that it is right and > proper for the fools to govern the wise. Oh yes, you can shout me down , but > you cannot prove me wrong . The majority has the power, the lung power as > well unfortunately, but that does not make it right. It's I , and a few like > me who are right. It is the minority, that's always right. Majority are like > last year's salt pork or rancid old hams, - the cause of all the moral > scurvy that ravages society." > And if you are a Goethe acolyte, you would not disagree with him:" Tief > und ernstlich denkende Menschen haben gegen das Publikum einen boesen Stand. > Man muss das Wahre immer wiederholen, weil das Irrtum um uns her immer > wieder gepredigt wird, und zwar nicht von einzelnen, sondern von der Masse. > In Zeitungen und Enzyklopedien , auf Schulen und Universitaeten , ueberall > ist das Irrtum obenauf, und es ist ihm wohl und behaglich im Gefuehl der > Majoritaet, die auf seiner Seite ist." > Nevertheless, I do believe, that Ernst Juenger would be proud of you and > me , Guenter, - and all the Juenger friends, - of our dialectic exchanges > via the Internet. As Wilhelm von Humboldt ( 1767-1835 ) writes in his Diary, > so sagaciously and beautifully , on November 1. 1788: " Ich habe schon > bemerkt , dass Gespraeche mit Maennern , die reich an Ideen sind, und viel > Interessantes sagen, leicht aus dem Gedaechtnis verschwinden. Der Hoerende > wird durch jede einzelne Idee frappiert, an jede knoepfen sich andere in ihm > an , mit welchen er sie vergleicht und statt dass sie wie ein blosses Bild > seiner Phantasie vorschweben sollte, geht sie ganz in ihn selbst ueber. So > wird sie freilich mehr sein, und haengt fester, ist aber auch veraenderter, > und in anderen Verknuepfungen, so dass das was bloss Werk des Gedaechtnisses > und der Phantasie ist , das Darstellen der ganzen Ideenfolge dadurch > erschwert wird. Man muss machen, dass auch der andere anschaue. Dies aber > ist durch kein anderes Mittel moeglich, als indem man das Ding von allen > Seiten herumwendet, und ihm in den rechten Gesichtspunkt zu stellen sucht. > Zu diesem Herumwenden beduerfen wir der Dialektik." > In conclusion an observation, which the majority should take to heart: " > Beim Beten - mit gefalteten Haenden muss eine Art von Magnetismus spuerbar > sein, wenn das Gebet durchdringen soll. Die Rechte und die Linke > verschraenken sich zur Ruhe. und sammeln unaufgeteilte Kraefte. Dann > handelt die nicht in Symmetrien sich spiegelnde Vernunft. " Ernst Juenger. > He said it , and he reminds us in all his works, that the individual ( Der > Einzelne) can change the world: " Fuer einen Christen, der sich als > Kommandanten seiner Festung, seiner "festen Burg" erkennt, ist Christus > nicht nur das Vorbild, sondern ein wesentlicher und wirkender Teil seiner > Person, - ist kommunizierte, weltwendende Macht. SIE STUERZT IMPERIEN." > That is our mission, Guenter. It has been a pleasure to be with you in > spirit. Festina lente, Henry T. Malon - from the elysian Canada. > __________________________________________ Dr. Günter Rebing Hügel 20 D-53359 Rheinbach Tel./Fax 02226-3980 Mobil: 0177-5961331 E-Mail: Rebing@t-online.de g.rebing@eplus-online.de
Markup © John King, July 2001.