It's not an either/or situation.
It's not like a faucet: fully on or shut completely off.
It's moderation in everything we do.
All the best,
Nonoise
Nietzsche and Runaway Audio Consumption
Came across this today. A lot of posts bring up the issue of "how much is enough?" or "when is audio consumption justified" etc.
Does this Nietzsche aphorism apply to audio buying? You be the judge!
Friedrich Nietzsche: “Danger in riches. — Only he who has spirit ought to have possessions: otherwise possessions are a public danger. For the possessor who does not know how to make use of the free time which his possessions could purchase him will always continue to strive after possessions: this striving will constitute his entertainment, his strategy in his war against boredom.
Thus in the end the moderate possessions that would suffice the man of spirit are transformed into actual riches – riches which are in fact the glittering product of spiritual dependence and poverty. They only appear quite different from what their wretched origin would lead one to expect because they are able to mask themselves with art and culture: for they are, of course, able to purchase masks. By this means they arouse envy in the poorer and the uncultivated – who at bottom are envying culture and fail to recognize the masks as masks – and gradually prepare a social revolution: for gilded vulgarity and histrionic self-inflation in a supposed ‘enjoyment of culture’ instil into the latter the idea ‘it is only a matter of money’ – whereas, while it is to some extent a matter of money, it is much more a matter of spirit.”
Nietzsche, Friedrich. 1996. Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits. Cambridge University Press. (p. 283-4, an aphorism no. 310)
I'm pretty sure @mahgister will want to read this one! (Because they speak so artfully about avoiding the diversion that consumption poses to the quest for true aesthetic and acoustic excellence.)
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@mahgister You are well read and make many good points, but spirit doesn't come solely from books and philosophers. Spirit is lived, it is personal experience. I heard much spirit in music I listened to last night, Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations, what spirit! So many others as well, I was on spiritual journey lead by so many great musicians with such great spirit. And to think I have system that delivers this spirit with illusion of these performers in my room, Yes, this audiophile thing is spiritual work!
And now for something completely different. Do you believe one can cultivate the spirit through hallucinogenic substances? Does proper intention alongside hallucinogenic ingestion create space for seeing the unseen. I can only answer for myself, that indeed it does! Spirit lives in the places normal everyday life obscures, to use an old worn out cliche, opening new doors of perception allows one visions of what was formerly unseen. My forays into this area spurred by early writings of Carlos Castaneda and Travels with Don Juan. I used these readings as my intention when entering these realms. |
I have read your postings with interest and I also appreciate your efforts to build a system at minimal cost even if it is a bit unconventional with the crystals and rocks. And based on what I see in your system I have ordered for myself a Schumann generator out of curiosity. You might explain to me how to tell if it is even working. Fascinating and informative everything you have said in these recent posts. We all have a predilection towards evil. It doesn’t take much influence it seems for people to go to dark places and harm others or even themselves. Ever visit the torture museums scattered around Europe? It can be horrifying the awful things we will do to each other. Evil would have consumed the world long ago if not for the Grace of God. The western world gives Christianity lip service- perhaps not so much these days but espouses materialism. In our material world we believe science has all the answers and deny the spirituality of humankind. Even Karl Jung, who you mentioned delved into spirituality through the occult in an attempt to treat it as a scientific endeavor and find a way to control or apply it in material terms. Ultimately, he committed suicide. The United States was set up as a secular nation. Our own US Constitution is a materialistic blend of Greek philosophies with the goal of humankind developing a Utopian society apart from our Eternal Creator. (The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) They cleverly peppered the document with the word, "God" to insure all of the colonies would ratify the document. Take for example the premise in our Constitution that all men are created equal. (Set aside the irony for the moment that these words were written by slaveholders). It would seem a plausible Utopian goal but after two and a half centuries of effort, conflict and war can we really say these words are true or achievable in this world? Materialism is a dead end. Do not confuse this with Consumerism. Materialism is the idea that the Universe came to existence on its own and everything evolved from something lessor. Greek philosophy and modern philosophies all lead to dead ends. I say that because so many either deny the spirituality of humankind or misinterpret it as it relates to the Eternal Creator God. All of this leads to absolute evil and the downfall of everyone because in the end everyone in this world dies. But there is Good News! Mahgister, you touched on it briefly at one point. That is that God sent his only son into the world to save it. A simple message but difficult for people to accept. Paul of Tarsus, the greatest missionary and Christian theologian of all times spoke to the great minds in Greece and failed to convey his message to them because The Message is the opposite of Materialism. (A few Greeks that heard his message did become Christians). I would hope that everyone would read the Holy Bible (Christian Bible) before making conclusions about Christ. It seems so many just form opinions based on ignorance (not a put down but a cry to investigate the Truth on your own) or what the State tells them rather than to read and contemplate on their own. Yes, the Bible is long, some 780,000 words long but few have read it cover to cover and not been affected by it. It’s no wonder the State has worked so hard to keep this book out of our schools away from young people and even ban quotes from this bible from the walls of our public buildings. Why does the state fear this book so much? Perhaps it is words such as this in the bible written by Paul of Tarsus: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." The bible is so readily available everywhere these days and is translated into nearly every language on earth. Anyone could pick up a bible and read it as easily as reaching out for a glass of water. It is a terrible tragedy that people deem its worth based on its accessibility. |
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