Star Friendship

[Sphere70]

from 'The Gay Science' (Nietzsche)

"We were friends and have become estranged. But this was right, and we do not want to conceal and obscure it from ourselves as if we had reason to feel ashamed. We are two ships each of which has its goal and course; our paths may cross and we may celebrate a feast together, as we did—and then the good ships rested so quietly in one harbor and one sunshine that it may have looked as if they had reached their goal and as if they had one goal. But then the almighty force of our tasks drove us apart again into different seas and sunny zones, and perhaps we shall never see one another again,—perhaps we shall meet again but fail to recognize each other: our exposure to different seas and suns has changed us! That we have to become estranged is the law above us: by the same token we should also become more venerable for each other! And thus the memory of our former friendship should become more sacred! There is probably a tremendous but invisible stellar orbit in which our very different ways and goals may be included as small parts of this path,—let us rise up to this thought! But our life is too short and our power of vision too small for us to be more than friends in the sense of this sublime possibility.— Let us then believe in our star friendship even if we should be compelled to be earth enemies."

Beautiful

[Tenver-]

from 'The Gay Science' (Nietzsche)

-snip-

Beautiful

Indeed. What a great quote :).

[Dan Rowden]

I've always considered that this quote gives us a proper sense of Nietzsche's true disposition toward others.

[Bobo]

It sounds like he had a crush on somebody but had to tone it down to frienship, otherwise, oh boy, that quote could get cheesy. There's something to learn from it though, and that is to depart from our own thoughts and experiences, and with altered states that is the way to go. Which, in part, must be what those gay feelings are on about.

"...Even the most beautiful scenery is no longer assured of our love after we have lived in it for three months, and some distant coast attracts our avarice: possessions are generally diminished by possession…" Nietzsche - The Gay Science

[Dennis Mahar]

ships that pass in the night.
existential machinery.

aw shucks, boo hoo.


'thus gone'.

[Bobo]

And sometimes you have to become estranged to this or that coast.