Page 87 - Liberating Liberals V2

Liberating Liberals
Though a tremendously astute detector of mind barriers, Nietzsche was not much interested in the political world or in making friends. He had terrible table manners for civilized gatherings. If you want to keep friends and listeners, apply Nietzsche’s ideals on very few occasions, and for very short times. Don’t mention his name unless you have to.
For instance, in the rare instances when Friedrich was interested in politics he often came to horrible conclusions such as praising Napoleon and Cesare Borgia due to their willingness to kill thousands for their own self-expression. And Nietzsche sometimes made unbelievably nasty comments in supporting such excesses. Then again, it’s part of his genius that he was so reckless. So you take the brutal to get to the brilliant.
Yet Nietzsche might have approved of Gandhi and King for their willingness to risk their own lives and those of their followers. Said Gandhi: “I have made up my mind that it would be a good thing if a million people were shot in a brave and nonviolent resistance against British rule....”67 He said this
even though most Indians had little knowledge of nonviolent theory. King too was willing to lead as many African-Americans and white liberal supporters to death — or into the living Hell of a Southern jail.
Although they felt it to be in the best interests of India and America, a stupendous degree of self- interest was involved in the leadership of King and
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