Tuesday 17 April 2018

Thought 617: Nietzsche's Fiery Zarathustra and Tolkien's Hobbling Hobbits



Nietzsche's Zarathustra and Tolkien's Hobbits
offer a nice contrast in archetypes.

For as the Persian thinker states:

'I walk among this people and keep my eyes open:
they have become smaller and are becoming smaller still:—
but this comes from their doctrine of happiness and virtue.
For they are modest in virtue too—because they want
contentment. But with contentment only a modest
virtue is compatible. To be sure, even they learn 
in their own way how to stride and stride forward: 
I call it their hobblingThey thereby become 
an obstacle for anyone in a hurry.'

Thus Spoke Zarathustra
On the Virtue That 
Makes Smaller, 
§.2