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I have just finished reading two books on the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche who I always thought was a weird guy, and from his pictures he looks scary, but now I have a different (mental) picture of him and his thought. He has influenced the 20th century as much as anything, perhaps along with Darwin, Marx and Freud. My earlier feelings about Nietzsche was from my Evangelical days when we were taught that he was an insane, immoral atheist who announced the Death of God. Well, he did declare God dead, but what he meant is open to much interpretation. He mostly meant that all unhealthy, negative, guilt-inducing concepts of God has to go. His legacy includes an existential approach to understanding life; the ideal of a strong, self-assertive individualism; a kind of relativism based on the fact that nobody knows everything; a new appreciation of our bodily, earthly existence; and an understanding of the arts (especially music) as a source of spirituality. I think a correct understanding of Nietzsche includes his affirmation of Life with all of its messiness and pain. He continually said YES to life, in spite of the fact that he suffered from health problems constantly. And yes, he did have syphilis which later led to mental problems and paralysis. Nietzsche has helped us look at the world with sharper insight about motives, hidden forces, and biases. Despite some saying so, he wasn't anti-Semitic, he didn't lead directly to the Nazi philosophy, he wasn't an immoral person; quite the opposite: he was polite, courteous, sympathetic, and merciful. Now I've moved on to an interest in coupons. There are many websites now where coupons can be printed, or even downloaded to your iPhone. I've read a fascinating book: How to Shop for Free (by Kathy Spencer). She is an amazingly assertive shopper (Nietzsche would be proud); and she shows how to keep a lot of groceries and other items for free. It's a matter of learning about where to get coupons, how to combine them in a timely fashion, and how to take advantage of occasional deals. She does buy a lot in bulk and stores items, which I can't do because we live in a small space. Nevertheless, there is much more to her methods. She literally goes into a grocery store and buys over $300 worth of stuff and ends up paying about $4.00. (and sometimes she pays nothing, or gets money back!). So, I am now studying the science of couponing. I don't have her chutzpah though; I'm kind of shy when it comes to asserting my shopping muscles. But I can learn and become more courageous as time goes on. Now, I need your help (if anyone actually reads this): I'm going to end this blog (Amazing Grays) and establish a new one soon. I've come up with some possible names. Perhaps you could tell me which one you like best....Deep South Wonderings
Mr. Wayne’s Journal
At Home in Homewood
Alabama Ramblings
Shallow Thoughts in the Deep South
Fried Green Pensees
Fried Green Tomorrows
Fried Green Potatoes
Thru My Spectacles
Alabama Liberal
(Through My Window... and Wayne's Journal are already taken)
Birmingham Bastard
Observations from Oxmoor Road
Fragments and Quotidiana
Igniting Cognition
Cogito Ergo I Stick
I await your wisdom.
My email: glorysdad@gmail.com
