Die Umwelt ist kein Weg

[Gary Kern <gkern@alumni.Princeton.EDU>]

Dear Jüngerites:

This weekend I tried to catch up with DIE SCHERE and read all the posts
regarding sections 1-15.  (Sorry, Bertil, your posts on the later
sections were filed neatly at the end of my stack of print-outs.)  I
must say that the project is going extremely well, with texts,
translations and commentaries proceeding in orderly fashion.  It's a
wonderful project in that it is devoted to improving our understanding,
without any rush, hype or commercial incentive, though conceivably a
publishing project could emerge from it.

I would like to comment on only one point.  Jünger's statement in #12
that "die Umwelt ist kein Weg" comes after a series of reflections on
art, purpose, progress:  this statement marks a subtle shift of
direction.  I take it as a very graphic observation, which might be
restated as "what surrounds you is not a path."  In other words, there
is the straighforward, linear direction of progress, and the circular
environment containing many paths, but remaining, as environment,
static.  Thus a world of people who once were motivated by a goal, a
path, but who now turn to the environment as their chief concern
essentially lose their purpose.  They are for maintenance, tending the
garden, not exploring and conquering the elements.

I find a parallel here with the views of the great media guru, Marshall
McLuhan, who foresaw the "global village" created by the worldwide
instantaneous transmission of information and entertainment.  You
remember, "the medium is the message."  Indeed, how can there really be
multiculturalism--i.e., separate cultures developing in distinct
ways--when everybody is watching re-runs of Lucy?  And though birth
control is unquestionably a priority for the world's development,
concentration on it, or salvation of the rain forests, means overall a
loss of purpose.  We're just trying to stay put.  I think Jünger was
detecting just such a shift in world mentality.

I would add another.  For some time I have noticed a special pleasure in
listening to classical music of Beethoven's time--not just B himself,
but contemporaries, lesser figures like Spohr, early Mendelssohn, etc. 
The reason, I found, is because their music, whatever the subject, even
when melancholy, expressed a sense of purpose:  melancholy of the poet
was important, Napoleon's promise was important, romantic love was
important, the future of mankind was important, even if the composer or
poet himself was miserable and hated his bourgeois society.  In short,
there was hope.  I find no hope today.  I think our society--our world
society--can think of nothing better than to muddle through the
problems, clean up the mess, keep the peace, etc.  Not bad projects, but
lacking any real hope.  Perhaps this is why there is such a passion for
space exploration--not to extend the wonder of mankind, but rather to
find aliens to show us the way.

Jünger--and Jung, by the way--sensed this miserable situation.

Onward with die SCHERE.  Snip, snip!

GK