Re: EJ on religion, on death and more

[Bertil Haggman <bertil.haggman@helsingborg.se>]

abdulbar@execpc.com wrote:
> 
> Greetings one and all!

> >"Der Tod is nicht durchaus als Feind zu sehen; er ist zum mindesten
> >ein guter Bekannter und endlich sogar Freund. Diese Sicht eröffnet Wege,
> >dem Kranken die Grosse Passage zu erleichtern, ihm einen Beistand
> >zu leisten, zu dem die blosse Heilkunst nicht genuegt".

> >Siebzig verweht II, p. 571 (1981), SW, Vol.5.
> 
>         Somehow I feel that this is certainly not as difficult to grasp as
> it would seem. If we ask ourselves about the "Grosse Passage", It would
> seem that there is certainly in EJ's view a "going on" as it were. At least
> in this description it is not outright, BANG! You're done. For that matter
> if EJ didn't believe in something after death, then why would he even write
> in such a manner? Wouldn't he rather do as others have done, and dismiss
> and defame such a matter as this?

A.B.,

To dismiss and defame in such a matter would certainly not be the style
of EJ.
But there is not hopefulness and certain belief in a better "beyond". 
As in Das abenteuerliche Herz this feeling of uneasiness:

"Wir marschieren seit langem einem magischen Nullpunkt zu, ueber den nur
der
hinwegkommen wird, der ueber andere unsichtbare Kraftquellen verfuegt."

But with the book _Der Friede_ it seemed for a short while that EJ had
left
nihilism behind and converted to christianity. And the long and careful
study of the Holy Bible during WWII could well be interpreted as a
preparation
for this conversion. And certain groups inGermany, I believe, was
putting him
forward as a "converted". After the death of Ernstel he must also have
come close
to the message of Christ.

And there a quotes in _Der Friede_ to back this up:

"Die Massen sind zunaechst zur christlichen Moral zurueckzufuehren, ohne
die
sie der Vernichtung ganz schutzlos preisgegeben sind." 

But also in _Strahlungen_:

So kommt es auch dass mein Zugang zur Theologie durch die Erkenntnis
fuehrt. Ich muss mir Gott zunaechst beweisen, ehe ich an ihn glauben
kann.
Das heisst, ich muss den gleichen weg zurueckgehen, auf dem ich ihn
verliess.
Ehe ich mit den ganzen Person und ohne jede Einschraenkung
mich ueber den Strom der Zeit zu anderen Ufern wage, muss eine subtile
Pionierarbeit vorausfuehren".

I do like his use of the term "Pionierarbeit". EJ cannot remove himself
from
the military professionalism even in discussing his beliefs in God.

> >"Die Ueberwindung der Todesfurcht ist also zugleich die Ueberwindung
> >jedes anderen Schreckens; sie alle haben nur Bedeutung hinsichtlich
> >dieser Grundfrage."
> >
> >Der Waldgang, p.331 (1951), SW, vol. 7.
> 
>         This is interesting as it has to do with freedom and not
> metaphysics. Could we go a step further and say that because freedom is
> worth dying for, then there is also a reward beyond a humanitarian
> do-goodness as laid out in a "communist manifesto" or its like. I know that
> this is reading more into this passage than could be contained therein,
> just some thoughts.

To me it sounds like a possible interpretation but there
is no indication in the quote that the victory over the fear of 
death has to do with belief in afterlife or heaven or hell.
But conquering the fear of death certainly is connected to the
experiences during WWI. 
 
> >"Der Tod gleicht einem fremden Kontinent, ueber den niemand berichten
> >wird, der ihn betrat."
> >
> >Das abenteuerliche Herz, zweiter Fassung, p. 280, SW, Vol.9.
> 
>          I would say that this quote is similair to the first, again we
> have the soul makeing a "passage" to a new world. Dosen't seem to be much
> skepticism here, on the contrary it points to a certain belief in the
> immortality of the soul. In other words, there is something to be
> discovered on the other side. Even if there will never be verifiable
> reports.

I must admit the quote was not complete. EJ goes on writing:

"Seine Geheimnisse beschaeftigen uns so stark, das ihr Schatten den
Weg verdunkelt, der dorthin fuehrt - das heisst, wir unterscheiden
zwischen dem Tode und dem Sterben nicht scharf genug. Diese Unter-
scheidung  ist insofern von Wert, als vieles, was wir dem Tode 
zuschreiben, sich bereits im Sterben vollzieht und als unsere Blicke
und Vorstellungen in das Zwischenreich zuweilen noch eindringen.
Wie fern uns der Tod auch liege, so vermoegen wir doch das Klima zu
schmecken,
das ihn umgibt."


         As always with Jünger pinpointing a specific meaning is never
easy,
> and as we have mentioned before this in the list. He remains uncannily
> vague in points which then leaves the greatest amount of room for personal
> meaning, not unlike Nietzsche. Although the "taint" of fascism is probalbly
> to strong for the left to take hold of Jünger any time soon.
> 
> >> Although I haven't read this far, I don't think that this is at all an end
> >> with regards to the humans on the planet. The technological process will
> >> certainly burn out, as EJ has stated. What remains is alway the return of
> >> the gods in the metaphorical and real sense. It does seem that Jünger has
> >> been struck by a degree of millenial fever here. Would this all have
> >> something to do with Revelation?
> >
> >When EJ writes about Gods and Titans he does it in a metaphorical sense,
> >as you point out. But EJs has always been prognosticising catastrophy in
> >his diagnostical writing. It is not a millenial fever in my opinion.
> 
> With millenial fever, I had only meant that the passage you sight is of
> this quality. Though, I don't believe personally that he would succumb to
> such a thing.

I understand. Misunderstood you. I think Professor Schwarz expressed it
well
in his essay on EJs prognoses: "Wer der Nachweis fuehren wollte, dass
Juenger
als bewegende Kraft der Moderne und postmoderne einen eingebauten
Todestrieb
sieht, wuerde Seite fuer Seite in seinem Oeuvre fuendig werden. Seine
Zeitdiagnosen ist von Anfang bis Ende Katastrophenbeschreibung. Nur ist
er
eben kein Geist, der sich von Todesfurcht einschuechtern laesst, da er
Vernichtung
nur als Uebergang zu neuen Seinsformen versteht."

In _Die Schere_, a great favourite of mine, there is a guote on death
leading
to another life: "Dicht vorher und nachher wird unheimlich viel
geschehen".
(p. 186).

         As for this metaphorical sense of the "return", I must believe
that
> there is also a real sense being spoken of. For an intersting discussion of
> the nature of the divine in the great "myths", (which is not to be
> understood, as the moderns would have us believe, as being synonimus with
> untruth.) see Walter Otto's "Dionysus, Myth and Cult". His perspective is
> that the gods had to be present to have reality and that the rational idea
> of made up gods is far to complex to be left at that. Or as Otto quotes
> Williamovitz, "The gods are there!" The introduction deals with this
> question quite remarkably

Interesting reference. Will have to take a look.

> >But the question of overcoming Titanism is of course the whole question
> >of nature and our relation to Mother Earth.

Summer greetings

Bertil
bertil.haggman@helsingborg.se