My sister and I (The Last Confession of Nietzsche)

Author: Nietzsche
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Listen to Nietzsche: A Bare Voice Written by Li Gang / "The Educational Significance of Nietzsche's Human Image"
1. If The Birth of Tragedy is Nietzsche's most important aesthetic work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra is his most mature philosophical poetry, and Ecce Homo is his most complete creative biography, then My Sister and I is his most private final confession. Ordinary people read books, always asking only what the book is about and wanting a clear main theme. However, everyone's experiences are different, and their feelings toward things are also different. The records in the book will not only have one way of interpretation. Like many people listening to stories, they either make value judgments based on their own likes and dislikes or unknowingly raise a banner for self-reflection. But they lack empathy for the person's situation and lack deep self-reflection on their own lives. Therefore, in the process of reading, what is more important is what questions we can raise from it, rather than what answers others can give us. The main theme is sometimes not given by the author but created by the reader. To experience Nietzsche's My Sister and I, one must adhere to this reading style. It is a record of Nietzsche's mental breakdown process, for his final reckoning with himself. Therefore, unless we are willing to enter Nietzsche's world and experience how he faces life, our reading will ultimately remain at the surface meaning of the words.
2. Nietzsche has always been a controversial thinker. In the 20th century, some revered him as the master of existentialism, while others accused him of being the mastermind behind Nazism. The key lies in the "übermensch" philosophy he advocated. Humanity must constantly transcend itself. When everyone continuously improves the quality of their lives, each can become a strong person facing life. Nietzsche's "übermensch" is such a "strong person facing life." Unfortunately, many people take the word at face value, imagining the "übermensch" as an "all-powerful god" and mistakenly viewing Nietzsche's philosophy as unrealistic empty talk. Or, they interpret Nietzsche's "strong person" as a "powerful tyrant." Hitler used this wrong thinking as a basis to appeal to the masses, compounded by his superior racialist mindset, to fabricate a reason for the Holocaust against the Jews. Nietzsche's philosophical ideas were thus trampled upon by politicians. Even more tragically, his sister not only did not defend his views but even became a close friend of Mussolini and Hitler, becoming a fervent Nazi. When German youth saw Nietzsche as a symbol of the new free spirit, her sister tried to portray him as a flawless person. Nietzsche once wrote a warning: "You must leave me unhesitatingly, and then I will return to you!" Especially his famous slogan "God is dead," was meant to remind the world to bravely "reassess all values" rather than blindly worship idols. Indeed, Nietzsche's greatness lies in his willingness to challenge the long-standing value standards of Western culture centered on Christian civilization. He never thought in abstract concepts; his philosophy was a reflection of life experiences, and even his entire life was a practice of his philosophy—living bravely and joyfully amid hardship.
3. In 1844, Nietzsche was born into a devout and conservative religious family. At the age of five, he lost his father and grew up in a manless environment, with his sister as his only playmate. During his middle school years at a boarding school, he first interacted with a group of boys. Due to their vastly different family backgrounds, Nietzsche felt very uncomfortable and was jokingly called "little priest" by his classmates. During those teenage years, the bitter Nietzsche had no friends and could only enjoy physical touch with his sister for pleasure. In 1864, as a grown man, Nietzsche joined the nightlife of taverns and brothels during his university years, and it was around this time that he contracted syphilis. However, he did not sink into such a life; he felt it was a waste of life. At the same time, he made an important decision to abandon the long-standing expectations of his family—to study theology, because he could no longer verify the truths of religious belief in life. In 1869, Nietzsche was appointed as a professor of classical philology at the University of Basel. However, his colleagues criticized his papers for containing many errors and mocked him, suggesting he should become a philosopher instead. Afterward, Nietzsche had close ties with Wagner while also being infatuated with Cosima, Wagner's wife. His sister also used this friendship to enter high society. In 1879, due to his serious illness, Nietzsche could no longer teach and resigned from his university position. At this time, he was not only disappointed by Wagner's musical style but also struggled with deteriorating eyesight and poor health, once falling into despair and considering giving up on life. Later, his health gradually improved, and he began to his during his travels. In 1882, through a friend's introduction, Nietzsche met the Russian woman Salome. This could be said to be the most painful love of Nietzsche's life, even leading to severe conflicts with his sister. When Salome chose Nietzsche's friend and distanced herself from him, Nietzsche was utterly devastated. In his loneliness, the wounded Nietzsche repeatedly unleashed his creative energy, writing great works. In 1889, Nietzsche's condition worsened, and he was admitted to a mental asylum. Later, with his strong will, he escaped the clutches of death, and his mother took him home to care for him. His sister, on the other hand, focused on publishing Nietzsche's notes. She widely promoted her brother's ideas, not only through books, articles, reports, magazines, and letters to publishers but also through a series of highly publicized lawsuits, claiming to have been authorized to speak on his behalf and interpret his philosophical thoughts. However, the person most closely related by blood was often the farthest in thought. In 1893, Elizabeth converted her mother's residence into a "Nietzsche Archive" and became its director. However, an editor who had been hired to organize Nietzsche's manuscripts later claimed she knew nothing about her brother's works; she was altering his articles, and the entire archive was built out of her vanity. In 1897, her mother died from overwork, and her sister took over caring for Nietzsche. In 1900, on August 25, Nietzsche passed away. In 1935, on November 10, Elizabeth died at the age of nearly 90, and Hitler attended her funeral, offering a wreath as a sign of mourning.
4. The publication of this book may perhaps echo Nietzsche's dying wish from afar. It narrates many secrets unknown to the public, simply wanting to tell us what kind of person Nietzsche truly was. Nietzsche always emphasized not to deify him—he was just a clown. Even when he was delirious with illness, he still stubbornly wrote, using the light of his spiritual life to overcome the pain of his physical body. Behind his wise and cautionary words lay reflections on countless life experiences. Therefore, the presentation of Nietzsche's private sexual desires in this book not only becomes a key to understanding why he fiercely critiqued morality and religion but also serves as a symbol of the twisted fate he had long foreseen. In other words, this book can be seen as a back door to Nietzsche's thoughts. Below, I provide a brief introduction and connection of the chapters in this book.
Chapter 1, Nietzsche reflects on his childhood life, especially his descriptions of family members, representing his earliest emotional experiences.
Chapter 2, Nietzsche passionately declares that these notes must not fall into his sister's hands, highlighting the importance of this book as a confession.
Chapter 3, the mother's hatred for men creates a prison that shocks Nietzsche and his sister, as they seek any possible happiness in each other's pain.
Chapter 4, Nietzsche clearly reveals that his sister had long been teasing his sexual organs and believed she knew nothing about his thoughts, refusing to allow her to publish any opinions about him.
Chapter 5, Salome completely submits Nietzsche to the exquisite ecstasy of the flesh, as if he were an addict, even declaring that even if she killed him, he would still trust her.
Chapter 6, Nietzsche expresses his dissatisfaction with Wagner and suggests that he would rather teach music, find a wife, and start a family with many children.
Chapter 7, the countess lures Nietzsche with seductive gestures, preferring to whip him into a frenzy of passion, and Nietzsche feels how debauchery emasculates life.
Chapter 8, the dying Aunt Rosalie tells Nietzsche that she has always known about his sexual relationship with his sister and hopes they will stop.
Chapter 9, Nietzsche screams that he wants more women, and only infinite imagination can sustain his life, comparing his sister Elizabeth to a bad angel and Salome to a good angel.
Chapter 10, if forced to choose between Salome and Zarathustra, Nietzsche says Salome is the woman he would ultimately choose.
Chapter 11, Nietzsche describes losing his sense of time and space for months and being unable to recognize anyone except his sister, showing that he was already close to death when writing this book.
Chapter 12, Nietzsche emphasizes that Cosima is the woman who made him see himself, and that whatever we lose, we will always possess, which seems to confirm the significance of women to Nietzsche.
5. Bare desire, lonely soul—. In 21st-century Taiwan, many feminist voices have emerged, and most people curse and condemn Nietzsche—"bringing a whip to a woman"—such disrespectful remarks, but few truly understand the meaning of this statement to Nietzsche. In this book, Nietzsche writes: "I dare tear away every mask that conceals, tear away the special hypocrisy that moves the heart, drive humanity onto the stage of life, revealing their bare and open skeletons. My sky is polluted because of my relationship with four women. When I lie dying, thunderclouds gather around me—the dark and dark thoughts I write with numb and painful fingers—the storm will soon subside. Once these notes are published, the storm will refresh my memory's landscape and quench the thirst of my dusty bones. My death will not conquer life, but my confession will make me immortal." In such a profound state of mind, Nietzsche wrote about the loneliness of his life. Faced with the condemnation of the world, he still bravely exposed everything, from childhood to adulthood—the oppression of his mother, the manipulation of his sister, the liberation of Salome, the debauchery of the countess, and the persistence of Cosima. The confusion of family, friendship, and love, under the impact of various desires, Nietzsche never despised women. He needed women; he could even do without himself but not without women. However, he did not have a woman completely his own. Nevertheless, Nietzsche offered his experiences as an endless love for the world. Behind his harsh words lay a series of absurd scenes. As life approached its end, the dying Nietzsche made a thorough reckoning with himself. His thoughts never ceased, especially when we release our desires. Every reader of Nietzsche can deeply reflect on themselves in his words.
—In memory of the arrival of the Chinese version of Nietzsche's My Sister and I
In a state, there are two sources of authority: the head of state and his institutions, i.e., the government. The head of state is the wisdom of the state—the source of the judicial system. A bad head of state may do more for the state with a perfect institution than a good head of state with a flawed one. In my life, I have met at least four people who believed that if I were in a new religious context, it would look great. Three of them were women. Thus, I began to doubt religion, even to doubt women. I met a Dutch girl in Geneva, and after a few hours, I proposed to her—thinking she might accept my reckless proposal, which stemmed from a sudden Wagnerian romantic idea—and I was very afraid. But that day, fate favored me, and the beautiful Dutch girl bluntly refused me. I should take my colleague Burckhardt as an example. His book on Schopenhauer was full of question marks, and I should add question marks to all the girls who fascinated me, including Miss Salome. Faith in women is an idolatry. In an era when "principles" are no longer worth men's loyalty, we will kneel before idols in Prussian uniforms or silk underskirts. Whether it is a government or a girl idol, idolatry is not falling into heresy but falling into stupidity. I am a hybrid of Socrates and a ghost, a thinking ghost among those cursed by heaven. This world is tired of philosophers; I am tired of my Socratic self. The cure that Socrates believed in was just another symptom—the disease of thought! My soul has challenged the ultimate truth—the absolute certainty—and this certainty has driven me mad. My intelligence has finally been stripped of its magic, and what I know is less than Hamlet, less than Socrates, less than nothing! The final truth is: there is no truth, only dying souls hanging in agony on the "cross."