The Fredösphere

Indeed, from a psychological point of view, history can become a true devouring monster which can completely paralyze us. The past, into which the flow of historical events ineluctably disappears, is an enormous force. For this reason , the people of India represent time as the monstrous goddess Kali (from kala, blue-black, death, and time) or in Tibet as Maha-Kala (great time, the great black one), or in our own culture as Father Time, a crippled, saturnine old man who devours everything. Just as in members of old, cultivated families a fin de race quality can be observed, a kind of skeptical fatigue that no longer wants to begin anything new, too much cultural past also can weigh down an entire people. For instance, I have often noticed with Italian intellectuals that ancient and medieval culture weighs on them so heavily that they sometimes lack a certain naiveté that is necessary to begin anything really new. (Of course, this is something that can be overcome through understanding.) As a result of an ambitious perfectionism that requires them to show their cultura, express themselves with linguistic refinement, and back up each statement with countless references and footnotes, they produce things that have lost all their clout, finely chiseled artworks devoid of power and impact. The past is like a strong sucking force that draws you into it and petrifies you if you are no longer going forward or are standing still. I believe that many people have become sympathizers of Communism and anarchism because they seem to promise a tabula rasa for a new beginning. They project a naive and powerful quality onto the lower social classes and hope for a creative renewal from them. Of course this is a mistake, a projection. they must work out the tabula rasa and the creative new beginning within themselves; for when such transformations are left to the external collective level, they usually take a negative turn.

Labels: Culture