by Wildhorse » Fri Jan 29, 2016 1:14 pm
Scotts: Surely, one way or another heroic myth seems likely involved as you suggest.
David Bowie's "Heroes" inevitably deals with that myth in some way. David Bowie's work was inspired to some extent, perhaps a great extent, by Nietzsche, who dealt with that myth. Birth of Tragedy, which Nietzsche wrote in his twenties, dealt with it so beautifully. I have always been amazed by his reflective awareness of this myth at such a young age. I have had bookmarked a passage in that work, for thirty years, where he addresses the certain awareness that each of us will die - that I will die.
One remembrance of David Bowie that I read suggested that we did not need Foucault because we had Bowie. (Foucault's work was a development of many aspects of Nietzsche's thought.)
I was with a friend this morning who takes great risks. Most do not directly involve death. But I have ridden with him in his twin engine Tesla. The feeling of acceleration from zero in a Tesla comes pretty close to the acceleration of base jumping, I imagine. It makes my head hurt, without ever hitting the ground. My friend is definitely more alive than most people I have known in my life.
By whichever myth the risk taking may be explained, it is not an evil thing. Base jumping is not essential, and is not for me. Nor is war. I connect with Nietzsche and David Bowie and see the heroic myth as containing something vital to being alive, and somehow through it, artfully, as young Nietzsche described, we do overcome the power of death in spite of its inevitability.
I have seen and heard excerpts from Blackstar. It is frightening in its imagery. Terrifying and yet beautiful.