“A man’s maturity consists in having found again the seriousness one had as a child at play.”
—F. Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, §94.
—F. Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, §94.
“In front of ourselves we pose as simpler than we are.”
—F. Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, §100 (excerpt).
—F. Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, §100 (excerpt).
This photo ... was taken during Little Italy’s annual San Gennaro festival, when a statue of the patron saint of Naples is carried aloft and paraded around to give devotees the opportunity to pin money on it. Captured by Faurer’s lens is an attendee, clad in a formal tux as he watches over the revered icon. Pinned to his lapel is a badge that identifies him as a member of the Society of San Gennaro, a powerful group within the political hierarchy of the local Italian-American community. By reducing the icon to its moneyed surface within the context of a religious festival Faurer’s image alludes to the intersection of capitalism and pride—be it religious or national—and questions the role money had come to play in defining faith and politics. The image ranks as among Faurer’s more critical and socially-conscious works, and it is therefore no surprise that he was described as “so intelligent and so angry, and having such passion for the world” by his friend and peer Robert Frank.
The biggest defeat in every department of life is to forget, especially the things that have done you in, and to die without realizing how far people can go in the way of crumminess. When the grave lies open before us, let’s not try to be witty, but record the worst of human viciousness we’ve seen without changing one word. When that’s done, we can curl up our toes and sink into the pit. That’s work enough for a lifetime.
— Louis-Ferdinand Céline
— Louis-Ferdinand Céline
If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. And would go even further, to: Even if it is broke, leave it alone, you’ll probably make it worse.