It is not nature which corrupts us--she produces
us in innocence; it is society. He who has once surrendered to the
influence of society must naturally become ever worse and worse the
longer he is exposed to this influence. It would be worth the trouble
to investigate the history of other extremely corrupt generations in
this regard, and to see whether--for example, under the rule of the
Roman emperors--what was once bad did not continually become worse
with increasing age.
First of all, therefore, these addresses adjure you, old men and
experienced--you who form the exception! Confirm, strengthen, counsel
in this matter the younger generation, which reverently looks up to
you. And the rest of you also, who are average souls, they adjure!
If you are not to help, at least do not interfere, this time; do not
again--as always hitherto--put yourselves in the way with your wisdom
and with your thousand hesitations. This thing, like every rational
thing in the world, is not complicated, but simple; and it also
belongs among the thousand matters which you know not. If your wisdom
could save, it would surely have saved us before; for it is you who
have counseled us thus far. Now, like everything else, all this is
forgiven you, and you should no longer be reproached with it. Only
learn at last once to know yourselves, and be silent.
These addresses adjure you men of affairs! With few exceptions you
have thus far been cordially hostile to abstract thought and to all
learning which desired to be something for itself, even though you
demeaned yourselves as if you merely haughtily despised all this.
Pages:
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148