(No. I, 1)
Plato says somewhere in his "Republic" that things will go well
only when those men shall govern the state who do not desire to
govern. The idea is probably that, assuming the necessary capability,
a man's reluctance to govern affords a good guarantee that he
will govern well and efficiently; whereas a man desirous of
governing may very easily either abuse his power and become
a tyrant, or by his desire to govern be brought into an unforeseen
situation of dependence on the people he is to rule, so that
his government really becomes an illusion.
This observation applies also to other relations where much
depends on taking things seriously: assuming there is ability
in a man, it is best that he show reluctance to meddle with
them. To be sure, as the proverb has it: "where there is a will
there is a way"; but true seriousness appears only when a man
fully equal to his task is forced, against his will, to undertake
it--against his will, but fully equal to the task.
In this sense I may say of myself that I bear a correct relation
to the task in hand: to work in the present moment; for God knows
that nothing is more distasteful to me.
Authorship--well, I confess that I find it pleasant; and I may
as well admit that I have dearly loved to write--in the manner,
to be sure, which suits me. And what I have loved to do is precisely
the opposite of working in the present moment. What I have loved
is precisely remoteness from the present moment--that remoteness
in which, like a lover, I may dwell on my thoughts and, like an
artist in love with his instrument, entertain myself with language
and lure from it the expressions demanded by my thoughts--ah
blissful entertainment! In an eternity I should not weary of
this occupation.
To contend with men--well, I do like it in a certain sense; for
I have by nature a temperament so polemic that I feel in my
element only when surrounded by men's mediocrity and meanness.
But only on one condition, viz., that I be permitted to scorn
them in silence and to satisfy the master passion of my soul:
scorn--opportunity for which my career as an author has often
enough given me.
I am therefore a man of whom it may be said truthfully that he
is not in the least desirous to work in the present moment--very
probably I have been called to do so for that very reason.
Now that I am to work in the present moment I must, alas! say
farewell to thee, beloved remoteness, where there was no necessity
to hurry, but always plenty of time, where I could wait for
hours and days and weeks for the proper expression to occur
to me; whereas now I must break with all such regards of tender
love.[2] And now that I am to work in the present moment I find
that there will be not a few persons whom I must oblige by paying
my respects to all the insignificant things which mediocrity
with great self-importance will lecture about; to all the nonsense
which mediocre people, by interpreting into my words their own
mediocrity, will find in all I shall write; and to all the lies
and calumnies to which a man is exposed against whom those two
great powers in society: envy and stupidity, must of necessity
conspire.
Why, then, do I wish to work in the present moment? Because I
should forever repent of not having done so, and forever repent
of having been discouraged by the consideration that the generation
now living would find a representation of the essential truths of
Christianity interesting and curious reading, at most; having
accomplished which they will calmly remain where they are; that
is, in the illusion that they are Christians and that the clergy's
toying with Christianity really is Christianity.
A PANEGYRIC ON THE HUMAN RACE OR PROOF THAT THE NEW TESTAMENT IS
NO LONGER TRUE.
(No. II, 5)
In the New Testament the Savior of the World, our Lord Jesus
Christ, represents the matter in this way: "Strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it.[3]"
--Now, however, just to confine ourselves to Denmark, the way
is as broad as a road can possibly be; in fact, the broadest in
Denmark, for it is the road we all travel. At the same time it
is in all respects a comfortable way, and the gate as wide as
it is possible for a gate to be; for certainly a gate cannot
be wider than to let all men pass through _en masse_:
Therefore, the New Testament is no longer true.
All credit is due to the human race! For thou, oh Savior of
the World, thou didst entertain too low an estimate of the human
race, so that thou didst not foresee the exalted plan which, in
its perfectibility, it may reach by steadily continued endeavor!
To such an extent, then, is the New Testament no longer true: the
way is the broadest possible, the gate the widest possible, and
we are all Christians. In fact, I may venture still further--I
am enthusiastic about it, for you see I am writing a panegyric
on the human race--I venture to assert that the average Jew
living among us is, to a certain degree, a Christian just as
well as we others: to such an extent are we all Christians,
and to such an extent is the New Testament no longer true.
And, since the point is to find out all which may be adduced
to extol the human race, one ought--while having a care not
to mention anything which is not true--one ought to watch that
nothing, nothing escape one which in this connection may serve
as a proof or even as a suggestion. So I venture still further--without
wishing to be too positive, as I lack definite information on this
subject and would like, therefore, to refer the matter to specialists
in this line to decide--: whether there are not present among
our domestic animals, or at any rate the nobler ones, such as
the horse, the dog and the cow, indications of a Christian
spirit. It is not improbable. Consider what it means to live
in a Christian state, among a Christian people, where everything
is Christian and everybody is a Christian and where one, turn
where one may, sees nothing but Christians and Christianity,
truth and martyrs for the truth--it is not at all unlikely that
this exerts an influence on the nobler domestic animals and
thereby again--which is ever of the utmost importance, according
to the opinion both of veterinarians and of clergymen--an influence
on their progeny. We have all read of Jacob's ruse, how in order
to obtain spotted lambs he put party-colored twigs into the
watering troughs, so that the ewes saw nothing but mottled things
and then brought forth spotted lambs. Hence it is not improbable--although
I do not wish to be positive, since I do not belong to the profession,
but would rather have this passed on by a committee composed of both
clergymen and veterinarians--I say, it is not improbable that
the result will finally be that the domestic animals living in
a Christian nation will produce a Christian progeny. The thought
almost takes away my breath. To be sure, in that case the New
Testament will to the greatest possible extent have ceased to be true.
Ah, Thou Savior of the World, when Thou saidst with great concern:
"When the Son of man cometh, shall He find Faith on the earth?[4]"--and
when Thou didst bow Thy head in death, then didst Thou least of
all think that Thy expectations were to be exceeded to such a
degree, and that the human race would in such a pretty and touching
way render the New Testament no longer true, and Thy significance
almost doubtful; for such nice creatures certainly also needed a
Savior![5]