"Higher than love of thy neighbor is love of the farthest and the future...My brothers, love of the neighbor I do not recommend to you: I recommend to you love of the farthest." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche from Thus Spoke Zarathustra
And, you didn't think Nietzsche was full of love? Quite the contrary.
Now, "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is obviously a wonderful ideal. However, there are (at least) two primary issues with that:
It presupposes we love ourselves. Tragically, for the most part, we don't. And... we pretty much hate others as we hate ourselves way too often. No?; And, Why our neighbor and not "the farthest"? We get in a lot of trouble when all we care to love are those closest to us (whether that's just our family/friends/race/community/country...).
I echo Nietzsche's recommendation: "I recommend to you love of the farthest."
"But whoever would become light and a bird must love himself: thus I teach... One must learn to love oneself with a wholesome and healthy love, so that one can bear to be with oneself and need not roam." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche from Thus Spoke Zarathustra
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PhilosophersNotes on Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche | |||||
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