Chapter 11 The first three variants

I tell you the three metamorphoses of the spirit: how the spirit becomes a camel, how the camel becomes a lion, and finally how the lion becomes a child. Many burdens are borne by the spirit, by the spirit that is strong, patient, and reverent: the strength of the spirit demands the heaviest and heaviest of burdens. "What is heavy?" asks the load-bearing spirit; and it kneels like a camel to bear a real burden. "Heroes, what is the heaviest?" asked the load-bearing spirit, "Speak! Let me carry it, let my strength be free and easy. " Inferiority hurts pride; reveals madness and ridicules wisdom: isn't this?

Abandoning one's own claim just as it celebrates its victory; Climbing a mountain to provoke the tempter: or this? To feed oneself on the fruit and grass of knowledge, to starve the soul for truth: or is it this? Sick and refusing comfort, to the deaf who will never understand your wishes: or this? As long as it's the water of truth, leap into it regardless of filth, and don't hate cold and hot frogs: or this one? Kindly to our despisers, to the monster that would frighten us: or this? All these burdens, the brave spirit is on the body, and it is busy going to its desert, just like a camel with a heavy load is busy going to the desert.

But in the loneliest desert a second metamorphosis is accomplished: here the spirit becomes a lion; he wants to conquer freedom and dominate his own desert. Here he seeks his last master: he shall be the master, the last enemy of God; he shall contend with the dragon. Who is the dragon whose spirit refuses to be called master and god? "You shall" is its name.But the spirit of the lion said, "I will." "You should" lie on the road, waiting for the spirit of the lion; it is a armored beast radiating golden light, with "You should" written in gold on each scale!

The value of millennia shines on these scales.Says the most powerful dragon thus: "All the values ​​of things—they shine in me. All value has been created.And all the value that has been created - that's me, really, 'I want' should not exist. "The dragon said so. Brothers, what is the use of the lion of the spirit?Is the camel that is humble and respectful enough to carry it? To create new values--the lion is not enough for this: but to be free for new creation--this requires the strength of the lion. To create liberty and a divine negation against duty: brothers, this is the work of the lion.

Acquiring the right to create new values—this is the most terrible conquest of a revered and capable spirit.Really, it's a predator and a ferocious carnivorous act. Once upon a time it loved Thou Shall as the holiest of all: now it had to find in the holiest of illusion and tyranny that it might sacrifice love to rob liberty: For this predation, we need lions. But tell me, brothers, what good is a child that a lion cannot do?Why should a preying lion turn into a child? The child is innocence and oblivion, a new beginning, a game, a spinning wheel, a primitive action, a divine affirmation.

Yes.For the play of creation, brothers, a holy affirmation is necessary: ​​the spirit now has his own will; the world-chaser has his own world. I have explained to you the three metamorphoses of the spirit: how the spirit becomes a camel, becomes a lion, and finally becomes a child. —— Thus spake Zarathustra.At this time, he lived in a city called Cainiu.