Un-Civilizing America

An Afterthought

Amor Fati

Amor fati was Nietzsche's famous expression. It is a Latin phrase with connections to the Stoic writings of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Literally translated, it means “love of fate.” It is a white shoe yearning for mud. It is a turkey, staying calm as the end of November approaches.

We use the term to describe the grace and courage you need to meet a complex, unknowable, and uncontrollable future. You don't know whether the Earth is warming or cooling … whether it is good or bad … or whether you can do anything about it. You don't know who's doing “equal work.” You don't know what equality is … how to measure it … or what to do about it. You don't know who the bad guy is. It may even be you.

It recognizes that we are all God's fools, living in a world of ignorance, headed toward we don't know where. Using our brains, we can make progress in our physical, material world. Technical thinking yields pyramids and Eiffel Towers.

But there is another part of life, which has a mind of its own. It does not bend readily to our desires or yield to our intelligence. It is the part of life whose purposes are unknown. The first and most important Commandment, according to Jesus, was not to fight it, but to love it.

But ignorance can be a charm. You just have to take it seriously. And appreciate it. Recognizing your own ignorance will inform your newfound modesty. You will be aware of it. And fiercely proud. Nobody will be humbler than you are!

And since you are ...