Gift-Giving: Only for the Worthy

Women in Philosophy Annual Journal of PapersVolume 9, 2013–2014Print ISSN: 1943–7412Online ISSN: 1943–7420© 2014

GIFT GIVINGOnly For The Worthy

Theodra Bane

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they

trample them under their feet, and turn againand rend you.” –Matthew 7:6

IntroductionThus Spoke Zarathustra allures readers with its

mesmerizing aphorisms and stunning imagery, attimes masking the uncomfortable teachings of theprophet Zarathustra. How are we to untangle theintertwining philosophical concepts as theyevolve? With such a dense and intricate work, thebest method of disentanglement is the pulling atone thread and subsequently tracing itsmanifestations and alterations throughout. Indescribing Zarathustra’s struggles with thisconcept as a prophet, Nietzsche presents thereader with a challenge: how can a multitude ofthemes—such as self-overcoming, commanding vs.obeying, pity, and creation—interlace with eachother within the giving of a gift. Thus SpokeZarathustra: A Book for All and None follows thedevelopment of the prophet Zarathustra into a

Women in Philosophy Annual Journal of Papers

figure worthy of his own message, demonstratingthe momentous challenge of embodying andpracticing the highest virtue—that of gift-giving—even for the one who is meant to extol thisvirtue as a living example. The theme of gift-giving—or the giving of a gift—as the highestvirtue is just such a unifying thread to tracethrough the text. As a prophet, Zarathustrastands out as an exemplary figure of self-overcoming who attempts to practice what hepreaches.

Zarathustra’s practices and teachings can onlybe made take the form of a virtue. Self-overcoming is a necessary step to reach the stateof virtue. While values are posited within asociety through tradition or history, virtues areliving actions of a new articulation ofvaluations. To put it another way, a value is an“is” within the status quo, whereas a virtue isan “ought”—something that must be strived forthrough embodied experience. Here, “embodiment”refers to the interiorized desire of this virtue,and the manifestations of that virtue within theactions of the individual.

Zarathustra’s highest virtue is gift-giving.Consider virtue as the “ought,” and as activity,then what short of gift can be held as thehighest virtue? The gift that merits the place ofhighest virtue is immaterial, invaluable,radiating from the bearer. Zarathustra has gone

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under, come down from the highest peaks, in orderto bestow through his teachings the gift ofcreation. Pure, genuine creation. Not a hodge-podge of previous ideas slapped together out of amultitude of fabrics, stitching old ideastogether into a new semblance, hoping that theywill fit this era.1 Rather, what Zarathustra hasto give are the skills and aptitude necessary fortrue, original creation that flies in the face ofall older values.

He is a prophet, not the creator himself. Whathe offers as his gift is the condition for thepossibility of true creation. He comes preachingwhat is necessary to be a true creator, and bearswithin himself the inspiration and guidance tocreate new values. Creation demands overcoming:“Let your spirit and virtue serve the sense ofthe earth, my brothers; let the value ofeverything be determined again by you! For thatshall you be fighters! For that shall you becreators!”2 It falls to the next generation tocreate their own values: to claim for themselvesa new system of virtues that no one could impose3

upon them but themselves.True gift-giving is very uncommon: Zarathustra

himself is not prepared to fully give of his giftuntil the conclusion of the text. It takes agreat deal of will, strength, and patience tobecome a true giver of the gift of creation, forit entails also waiting for the proper recipient.

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The search for an individual who could become acreator with the guidance of the prophet’s giftproves a most difficult task that never getsresolved within the text. For Zarathustra, notall men are equals: the virtue of the warrior isexalted above all others. The warrior is one wholearns to abandon the values of what he hasinherited, and takes up instead new virtuesystems to command his own valuations. Theability to command the self so fully is madepossible by the will to power. This principleputs primacy on the ability to overcome andcommand one’s own destiny. It is the only wayfor the continuation of life itself: the abilityto adapt and improve as the motivating force ofall action.

Demanding constant betterment of theindividual, the will to power may indeed lead tothe destruction of the very subject who wills it.Coming to terms with embodied reality—in all itshardships, ambiguities, and complications—isnecessary to bring forth true creation.Zarathustra, harnessing his own will to power,must become a warrior on his own terms, such thathe can become the condition of possibly that heknows is necessary. He must become a warrior sothat he can undergo the difficult journey ofseeking a worthy recipient of his gift.

The gift that Zarathustra brings to mankind isthe foundation for true creation manifest in the

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ability for the individual to create and embodynew virtues. From his first interaction with thehermit, through his two extended ventures amongstmankind, all the way into his solitude and hisfinal temptation, Zarathustra himself cannot cometo terms with what is demanded of him as thegiver of such a great gift. It is only at theconclusion of Part Four that the prophet becomesworthy of giving the gift of creation that he hasfor humanity.

Zarathustra’s message for humanity developsthrough the text, as he confronts his ownweaknesses and practices the difficult task ofself-overcoming. His reflective journey evolvesaround what it means to give the gift that hehas. The prophet of creation must come to termswith forms of failures that the prophet confrontsin his development into a gift-giver worthy ofbearing and bestowing the gift of creation. Thefailure to identify the proper recipient, thepersonal battle involved in bearing the burden,the weakness of pity fueled by compassion forfellow humans, and the difficulty of practicingthe virtue that he desires to embody are the fourmovements of self-overcoming that Zarathustramust undergo before becoming worthy of giving ofthe gift he carries forward.

Pearls Before Swine: Unworthy Recipients

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From the very commencement of the text,Zarathustra emerges from his cave with anoverabundance of life and wisdom, and a desire tobring a gift to humankind out of his love forthem. He attempts to bequeath this gift bybecoming a prophet, interacting with the generalpopulace and gaining a following of disciples.Zarathustra attempts to embody the gift-givingvirtue as a prophet. His abundance pours forthalmost involuntarily, as he turns first to theoutside world unconditionally in search of onewho is able to receive the gift of creation.

The newly inspired prophet has a daunting taskbefore him. The society he confronts when hecomes down form the mountain is one of comfort;it adheres to old values that have long outlastedtheir use or their true meaning, a societywherein the reality of the Last Man is not faroff.4 They cling to stale values: the comfort ofherd mentality, a despising of the body, and thereverence of pity as the highest virtue. EvenZarathustra’s most fervent disciples cannotescape the old values, and attempt to merelyincorporate Zarathustra’s teachings into theexisting fabric of their lives. What is necessaryand demanded for creation is the strength of will—the will to power—to create and adhere to aradically new set of values.

Creation is only made possible throughZarathustra’s gift and the encouragement and

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motivation Zarathustra provides: “Willingliberates: for willing is creating: thus I teach.And you should learn solely in order to create!”5

This prophet seeks to teach the harnessing ofone’s own will to power and the indispensabledemand for new virtues befitting of the times.Humanity needs new virtues, and strong voices towill them into creation. Thus, Zarathustrapreaches the gospel of self-overcoming, of thewill to power—and if not to an enrapturedaudience of an ever-dwindling number ofdisciples, then to himself. The highest virtuethat Zarathustra has willed into being, to be hisown, is the gift-giving virtue.

It is only through the determination andeffort of an individual will that a true virtuecan be chosen and, more importantly, fully lived:“When you will with one will, and you call thiscessation of all need necessity: there is theorigin of your virtue.”6 A true virtue is nothanded down from past generations and half-heartedly followed because it is the norm. Avirtue is carefully selected and lived to itsfullest by the warrior: the individual strongenough to begin the process of self-overcomingand choose his own values. Great strength is apre-requisite for truly willing anything. To thisend, it is important to distinguish the priorityof Zarathustra’s message (creation) and thevirtue that he has chosen to embody (gift-

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giving). Zarathustra recognizes that he is not acreator, and therefore wills his value to be onethat he can embody.

The gift of creation can only be giventhrough the very act of living the highest virtue—and in the sense, it must be taught more so thangifted. This kind of embodiment takes on aspecial form for Zarathustra: “The highest virtueis uncommon and useless, it is shining and softin luster: a gift-giving virtue is the highestvirtue.”7 Uncommon, useless, shining, andeternally giving of itself: these are thecharacteristics of gift-giving that Zarathustraparallels with gold in the final speech to hisdisciples in Part One8. His disciples, knowing ofhis eventual return to his cave in the mountains,present Zarathustra with a golden staffembellished at its top by a serpent wrappedaround the sun. It is upon the reception of thisgift that Zarathustra first introduces how toattain the highest virtue and details what itmeans to give a gift. “Useless” is a strange termto prescribe to the highest value, but it isvital to understanding Zarathustra’s experienceof gift-giving. Zarathustra grapples withshortcomings, failures, and moments of despair onhis journey as a prophet.

The highest virtue is useless in the sensethat its true function and action cannot become areality for the bearer of the gift. The gift can

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only be utilized by the gift-receiver: a warriorwhose will is strong enough to create beyond thebounds of preconceived values and inheritedvirtues. The gift-giving virtue is indeeduseless, mired in futility and inaction, untilthe gift itself is ready to be taken up by acreator.

Throughout the text, Zarathustra acknowledgesthe potential possibility that many who hear hismessage may deny their own self-overcoming. Manydisciples and listeners merely replace their owninner lives with the prophet’s teachings withoutunderstanding their call to action or drive forcreation. In his speech on the Gift-GivingVirtue, just as he is about to leave his firstbatch of disciples, Zarathustra makes a greatshow of emphasizing the importance of embodyinghis teachings:

You have not yet sought yourselves: thenyou found me. Thus of all believers;therefore all belief comes to so little.Now I bid you lose me and find yourselves;and only when you have all denied me willI return to you.9

Unfortunately, this clear message of self-overcoming and the building of a strong willfalls on deaf ears. Zarathustra returns tomankind at the beginning of Part Two, histeachings abused and altered beyond recognition.

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His first sharing of his gift with a largepopulation—any who would listen—was a failure.Out of his abundance and the desire to give ofhimself, he shared his message with weak soulswhom he knew could not fully understand the giftthat he had given them. His love and outpouringfor those unworthy went wasted. He did not yetunderstand the full consequences of the gift-giving virtue and what that meant for his owninteraction with all of humankind. The gift-giving virtue is both a great abundance and theheavy burden to carry this treasure alone.Zarathustra describes the highest virtue as“shining and soft in luster”. Like the sun, it isa radiating force. It gives completely of itself,purely out of abundance, pouring forth from thebearer. It necessitates a healthy selfishness, adesire to hoard all good things within the selfso as to share in the abundance with others. “Youcompel all things to come to you and into you,that they may flow back again from your fountainas the gifts of your love.”10 Thus a true giftcan only be given out of an overflowing ofenergy, value, and life. No one can truly giveout of lack or impotence, demanding a return orexchange for his or her generosity: “whatever hasits price has little value”.11 Giving is not acommodity exchange in a cheap attempt at comfortor an easier path. There should be no price for

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giving a gift, no expectation in return on thepart of the giver.

One must have an abundance, the willingness tocarry a treasure that one cannot use, and thefortitude and strength to do it alone. This callsfor sacrifice on the part of the giver,experienced through the strain on the will andthe relinquishing of reciprocation. The gift-giving virtue is only successfully performed whenthe gift is bestowed upon and accepted by aworthy recipient, depriving the giver of anyfurther need for existence. The gift-giverexpects nothing in return: “This is the nature ofnoble souls: they do not want something fornothing, least of all, life. He who is of the mobwants to live for nothing; but we others, to whomlife has given itself—we are always consideringwhat we can best give in return!”12 To only takefrom life leads to stagnation, and therecapitulation of values that have lost theirpoignancy and value repeatedly, without recourse.One must also will for life’s continuation,contributing to its vitality: taking is easy, andif enough people thoughtlessly take withoutgiving new vitalities in return, the samerecycled valuations continue forever out of theirhistorical contexts, well worn out by thethousands preceding them. For Zarathustra,beggars—those who live purely off of the effortsof others (this includes stale values and hand-

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me-down virtues)—are merely participants in theunquestioned mentality of the masses. They areunable to truly give of themselves. Those withstrong wills, those who experience contempt andlonging that motivate them to self-overcoming,are the true harbingers of power.

Gift-giving remains the highest virtue becausethere is not yet one strong or hard enough to bea creator. The giver of creation is a prophet,not the creator, holding the keys to self-discipline and self-overcoming that the creatorwill need in order to fulfill her task. Thus,Zarathustra seeks an individual strong enough tofully understand and embody the virtues that hehas to bestow. He gives of himself continually inthis pursuit, but his words fall on deaf ears.His message is misunderstood, misinterpreted, anddiluted by those who carry nothing but resentmentfor their current situation within a society ofstale values. Zarathustra must give the gift ofhimself to inspire a new creative force withinthe world, not to create a breeding ground formalice or an arena for comedy. It is in thisrespect that the figure of the Voluntary Beggaris so poignant: he serves as an example of howdifficult it is to practice the gift-givingvirtue. By following a mysterious cry ofdesperation, Zarathustra comes across theVoluntary Beggar surrounded by cows, preaching tothem. He is considered one of the Higher Men

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because he did his best to overcome and to sharehis gift with humanity, but he failed. It is notthis failure that makes him ripe for destruction(lion food13), for Zarathustra himself failscontinually to reach humanity. Rather, it is theVoluntary Beggar’s inability to strive toovercome these failures. He chooses waste hisgift and retreat from humanity, escaping theircruel jibes and mocking laughter to live amongstthe cows.

This moment towards the conclusion of the workilluminates the power and necessity of thehighest virtue. In the dialogue that Zarathustraenters into with the Voluntary Beggar, he takespity on the beggar’s situation, for heunderstands “‘how much harder it is to giveproperly than to take properly, and that gift-giving well is an art—the last, subtlest master-art of kindness.’”14 Giving a gift from a placeof abundance, and waiting for the right recipientfor the gift comes at a high cost and greatsacrifice for the true practitioner of thehighest virtue. As we shall see, the embodimentof the highest virtue takes time and greateffort, requiring that the bearer practicepatience longer than he had anticipated, and thathe temper his painfully internalized over-abundance with solitude.

A Heavy Burden: Combatting the Readiness to Give

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Zarathustra begins his first journey amongstthe people at the young age of 30, with a lovefor life above all else. Life is his mistress.She summons him forth to share the message of thewill to power with his fellow human beings, andto dance and leap and laugh and reach greatheights. Yet as he fails a first and a secondtime to reach out to humankind and bequeath hisgift of inspiration for creation, his messagegoes unheard and misinterpreted. Life begins tolose her luster. Through his failures, a secondmistress calls forth to him during his StillestHour and reveals to him the truth of hisfailings, forcing him into exile if he wishes toovercome and truly live out his highest virtue.Zarathustra moves from a love of Life to a loveof Eternity, recognizing that over-abundance anda willingness to give are not enough tocompletely live out the willed virtue of gift-giving. A true giver must recognize that giftscan only be given to those worthy of theirreception. Two aphorisms from Part Two of thetext—The Night Song and The Stillest Hour—articulate this crucial turning point withinZarathustra’s journey as a prophet. Power in lifemust coexist with an understanding of eternity,or all paths towards new creation will fail.

It is important to see how Zarathustra’sconfrontations with his weaknesses areforeshadowed from the beginning of the text. The

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very first page of the Prologue articulates thisfuture difficulty for the fledgling prophet:“Behold, I am weary of my wisdom, like the beethat has gathered too much honey. I need handsoutstretched to take it.”15 The burden of thegift and the weight of his teachings are heavybefore his journey has even begun. It takesZarathustra two forays into human society todiscover what we have learned from the Prologue:in the relation between giver and receiver, thereceiver plays the active role, as the highestvalue is “useless” to the one who bears it.Zarathustra spreads his message far and wide onhis journeys, and refines his teachings in hissolitude, but the only way his burden will berelieved is when the one who is worthy of thegift reaches out to take the gift for himself.

Only the individual worthy of the gift canactively relieve the giver of his burden. In hisspeech in the aphorism “Gift-Giving Virtue”,presented to his first batch of disciples,Zarathustra recognizes their longing and desireto themselves embody the highest virtue: “Youthirst to become sacrifices and gifts yourselves:and therefore you thirst to heap up all riches inyour soul.”16 Yet it is a rare individual who canundertake the burden of such riches for himselfto command and retain alone. The burden becomes aheavy load to bear, especially when one has topatiently wait for a recipient worthy of the gift

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being given. Zarathustra himself comes to seethat the internal gathering of riches and thethirst to become a sacrifice for power demands aforce of strength beyond all expectations andpreconceptions. The burden and the longingmanifest themselves only after the prophet hasfailed to reach out to humankind with hismessage. The most tragic moments of the text arethose when Zarathustra fails to embody his ownhighest virtue, and must repeatedly go under toovercome his own weakness. Even the prophet ofthe highest virtue did not fully understand hisundertaking. He fails to realize the greatmiseries of going under, the depths of itsdeepest valleys.

Zarathustra struggles with this failure in theNight Song, second in the trilogy of songs foundin Part Two. Bookended by a song on self-overcoming and another on his love for Life andWisdom, the Night Song serves as the centralpoint of the prophet’s investigation into re-evaluating his own self-development as he strivesto successfully give his gift. A song has greaterforce than mere speech, opening up its message tothe interpretative power of poetry. Theaccompaniment of melody and allowing for theprojection of deeper, more nuanced emotivequalities. It is only fitting, therefore, thatthe first expression of the failure andloneliness of gift-giving be expressed in song.

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The Night Song is a song of longing, amelancholic reflection on Zarathustra’s failingsas a prophet up to that point. He is halfwaythrough his second venture amongst his fellowhumans, and has begun to acknowledge the failingsof his pedagogic attempts: “They take from me:but do I yet touch their souls? There is a gapbetween giving and receiving; and the smallestgap must finally be bridged.”17 Here he begins torealize that his gift is only truly meant for aworthy recipient. But his failure to reach out tohis fellows—especially to those faithfuldisciples who try so hard to embody the wisdomthat he has to impart—makes his journey and hisefforts that much more difficult: “Oh theloneliness of all givers! Oh silence of all whobring light!”18 To tread the path of greatnessand be a warrior of the will demands loneliness.One without peers, without equals, cannot sharein his burden. Zarathustra, bringer of light,cannot bask in his own radiance, and must carryout his mission perpetually shrouded in darkness.As the gushing fountain of life, he can neverenjoy his own abundance or the melody of hisoutpouring. His existence as the gift-giver issolely for others. Through his failures to findan equal to relieve him of his burden of thegift, Zarathustra reaches a point ofunderstanding the great difficulties of gift-giving. Yet this recognition does not provide the

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catalyst for his change from love of Life to alove of Eternity. Zarathustra has not yetrealized the extent of his own failings as aprophet.

The moment of true transition is in the finalaphorism of Part Two. Here Zarathustra comes faceto face with his own shortcomings and isconfronted by the need for further self-overcoming. The aphorism begins with the prophetbeing called upon by a new mistress—Not Life, butEternity speaks to him now. Eternity offers nocomfort as she reveals to him his own greatestweakness:

…it spoke to me: ‘What does their mockerymatter! You have unlearned to obey: nowyou will command! Do you not know who ismost needed by all? He who commands greatthings… This is the most unforgivablething in you: you have the power and youwill not rule.’19

The prophet of creation—the messenger of thewill to power and the eternal return—hasunlearned the obedience of stale and hand-me-down virtues, but he has not yet learned tocommand his own virtue. The willing of a newvirtue is only the first step toward gift-giving. Through his attachment to Life,Zarathustra has failed to recognize theimportance of commanding these gifts, of

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guarding them only for those who are worthy ofthem. It is not in over-abundance, but in aguarded, patient watchfulness that the virtue ofgift-giving manifests itself. Eternityrecognizes this and reproaches Zarathustra: “Andfor the last time it spoke to [him]: ‘OZarathustra, your fruits are ripe, but you arenot ripe for your fruits!’”20 Zarathustra’s lovefor humanity has thus far prevented him frombecoming hard enough to live out his highestvirtue to its greatest potential. Now, he mustcome to realize that he can only offer up hisgifts to the worthy. As Life explored its ownabundance and invited the prophet to indulge inthe same, Eternity demands patient warriors withgreat will to carry such a heavy burden.

Only the one who wills the destruction of theold, and takes responsibility for the creationof the new, can utilize the prophet’s gift. InPart Three, Zarathustra takes the words of hisStillest Hour to heart and secludes himself inhis cave. Here he focuses on refining histeachings and practicing the art of becomingripe for the fruits that he has to bear: “Now Iawait my redemption—that I may go to them for thelast time. For I want to go to men once more: Iwant to go under among them, in dying I willgive them my richest gift!”21 Zarathustra achesto be amongst the humanity that he loves fortheir longing and contempt, but he recognizes

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that he is not yet ready to be amongst them. Hiswill demands that he first prepare to bear theburden of a gift: “That I may one day be readyand ripe in the great noon: ready and ripe likeglowing ore, like a cloud heavy with lightningand swollen milk-udders.”22 He must wait for sucha time that he is ready to command his own willand will no longer let his love for humanitycloud his judgment. He must reject the impulseto pity those who had great potential, butfailed.

Zarathustra now discovers fully for himselfthe great sacrifice demanded of the gift-giver.There is great suffering evident in bearing theburden of the highest virtue, patiently laying inwait for one who is worthy to come and pluck theripe fruits. This realization is articulated infull force in the aphorism On the Great Longing.He has trained his soul to say “no” as well as“yes”, nurturing both his soul’s freedom to willand a healthy contempt for the worshipers ofstale values. Most importantly, he has given hissoul the seat of command. He has taken on theburden and responsibility for his highest virtue:

O my soul, now you stand exuberant andheavy, a vine with swelling udders andfull clusters of golden brown grapes:—crowded and weighed down by yourhappiness, waiting from superabundance andyet bashful in your expectancy.23

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Although in further control of his desires,Zarathustra recognizes the lack of patience thatpresents a challenge for the true giving of hisgifts. The abundance that once poured fourthfreely now weights heavily within him.Zarathustra realizes that the initially perceivedrelation between the giver of the gift and thegift’s recipient is a false one.

The relation of thankfulness between therecipient and the giver is inverted in thepracticing of the highest virtue. The gift-giverbecomes the grateful party at the gift’sbestowment upon the worthy recipient, relieving aweary giver of his heavy burden. Zarathustrarealizes this by interacting with his own soul.Although it is still a part of him, his soultakes upon itself the anxieties of bearing thegreat gift of creation. Zarathustra is left freeto concentrate on preparing for the next forayamongst men, to prophesize further and to searchfor a worth recipient of the gift. For this, theprophet experiences unexpected gratitude:

O my soul, I have given you everything andmy hands have been made empty by you—andnow! Now you say to me smiling and full ofmelancholy: “Which of use owes thanks?—does the giver not owe thanks to thereceiver for receiving? Is giving not anecessity? Is receiving not—mercy?” O my

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soul, I understand the smile of yourmelancholy: your over-abundance itself nowstretches out longing hands!24

To give a gift is a painful undertaking thatdepends on the actions of others to be fullyrealized. Zarathustra comes to understand thatthe gift-giver may “pour forth in gushing tearsall your grief at your fullness and at thecraving of the vine for the vintner and hisknife!”25 Through empathizing with the pains ofhis soul, he comes to understand the full weightof the sacrifice that he has chosen. Moreimportantly, he realizes at last that it is onlygood to give to a person great enough to be trulythanked for such a saving action: “O my soul, nowI have given you everything and even the lastthat I have, and all my hands have been madeempty by you…which of us now owes thanks?—Butbetter still: sing to me, sing, O my soul! Andlet me thank you!”26 The one who will stepforward and receive the gift will be greater thanZarathustra himself.

Zarathustra first comes to recognize this inhis Stillest Hour. After Eternity confrontsZarathustra about his weaknesses that need to beovercome, the prophet returns to his waitingdisciples to bid them farewell before returningto his cave. Yet in his final moments with themhe has nothing to share: “Ah, my friends! Ishould have something more to say to you, I

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should have something more to give you! Why do Inot give it? Am I so stingy?”27 Zarathustra hasnot yet realized the necessity and power ofstinginess. While an overflowing abundance iscrucial for fulfilling the highest virtue, underthe watchful gaze of Eternity, it can and shouldonly be given to the one who is worthy of it.

Learning to Command the Self: The Overcoming ofPity

In spite of his turn toward a love of Eternityand improved control of his will, Zarathustra’sweakness for humanity’s foibles continuallymanifests. Despite teaching vehemently againstit, Zarathustra still attempts to give his giftand share his abundance out of pity for mankind.What he loves in mankind the most—their longingand their contempt, both of which lend topotential overcoming—weakens him.

The pessimistic hermit Zarathustra meets onhis journey down the mountain first predicted hisweakness and failure. Upon their meeting, thehermit reprimands the prophet for lovinghumanity. When Zarathustra defends himself bysaying that he brings humankind a gift, thehermit (or saintly loner) warns him against it:“‘Give them nothing,’ said the saint. ‘Takerather part of their load, and carry it alongwith them—that will be most agreeable to them: if

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only it agrees with you! And if you want to giveto them, give them no more than alms, and letthem beg for that!’”28 The hermit in the woodspredicted this greatest and final weakness to beovercome by the prophet before any gift can beproperly given: pity for those who must bedestroyed.

This weakness that the prophet of creationharbors for humankind meets its most pressingmoment of overcoming with Zarathustra’s finaltemptation. In Part Four, we witness aprotagonist grown grey, one who has spent manydecades in solitude since his last stint spentamongst fellow human beings. Despite hisisolation, the knowledge of Zarathustra’s messageand legends of his person have spread far andwide. After being warned that his last temptationis coming, a great cry of distress echoes up tothe entrance of the prophet’s cave, and heembarks on a search for the one who uttered thecry, ready and able to assist the sufferingindividual.

This quest of compassion leads him to comeacross a large group of colorful characters, eachcharacterized as a Higher Man—an individual whostrove for a virtue he had chosen to be thehighest, but failed to embody fully and in thatfailure ceased to strive for further overcoming.Here, we must make an important distinctionbetween the Higher Men and Zarathustra.

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Zarathustra also failed multiple times to embodyhis highest virtue. Yet he recognized andembraced his failings and strove continually toovercome his point of weakness. It is thiseffort, patience, strength of will, and sacrificethat distinguishes the prophet.

Let us take the Voluntary Beggar as a casestudy to illustrate this important distinction.His highest virtue is the same as Zarathustra’s:he has a gift to give to mankind, but he found noone amongst them ready enough to receive it. Themain difference between the two—what makes one aprophet and the other a Higher Man who must bedestroyed—is their willingness to continue inspite of rejection. The Voluntary Beggar failedat giving, and his will was not strong enough tohandle the rejection: “they received me not … SoI went at last to the animals and to thesecows.”29 This Higher Man is happy to waste hisgifts on the cows, sheltered from his failuresand lacking the motivation to make an effort toimpart his message upon humans once again. TheVoluntary Beggar does not love mankind asZarathustra does, nor does he recognize thevalues of the earth that manifest in continuedcreation and necessary overcoming. He is apreacher of stale, hand-me-down virtues; hismessage speaks of an afterworld and a promisebeyond this life, when the focus should be solelyupon the doings of this life.

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Zarathustra takes pity on the Voluntary Beggarbecause of his failings, and because herecognizes the eerie parallels between them. Aswith all the other Higher Men. Zarathustrainvites him to partake in a meal in his cave.This generosity demonstrates how easy it is tofall into pity, especially when we understand theplight of those like ourselves. Pitying excuses alack of overcoming, and entraps the individualwithin a false relation of inequality. The onethat the prophet pities cannot be one worthy ofthe gift of creation. Thus, Zarathustra is notyet hardened enough to venture again into theworld of his fellow humans and their society.Giving out of pity is too easy of a task. It isnot until the Last Men defile Zarathustra’s homeby blatantly dismissal of his values, that herealizes they must be destroyed in order for thecreation of new values to become possible.

Unfortunately, Zarathustra mistakes the HigherMen for greater individuals than they actuallyare precisely because they have reached a stageripe for destruction (which he proclaims toadmire throughout the text). They have surpassedany possibility of betterment, refusing tocontinue self-overcoming, and must be destroyed.In his final temptation, he wishes to impart hisgift upon them: “But I am a gift-giver: I like togive, as friend to friends. But strangers and thepoor may pluck for themselves the fruit from my

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tree: that causes less shame.”30 The Higher Menmisinterpret and abuse the gift that Zarathustrahas given them. They seek his wisdom, but offernothing in return. The prophet has no equal, andtherefore no true friend. The heaviness of hisburden and his eagerness to relieve himself of itat the slightest provocation has failed results.He cannot yet give his gift, even here in thefinal passages of the text. He inevitably shameshimself by giving out of pity, knowing full wellthat these Higher Men were not his equals.31 Thelonger that Zarathustra spends time with theHigher Men in his cave, the more he comes torealize the necessity of their demise, for theycannot better themselves or society any further.Each and every guest in his cave is notknowledgeable of the fact that his own time hadpassed. Rather, each one clung desperately tolife, searching for comfort and joy instead ofstriving and effort. They each admire andadmonish the prophet for the wrong reasons.

The Higher Men cannot better themselves orsociety any further, thereby unknowinglydemanding their own destruction. At last, whenthe Lion enters the cave and devours them,Zarathustra recognizes his weaknesses anddetermines to overcome them:

“Pity! Pity for the higher men!” he cried out, andhis face changed to brass. “Well! That—hashand its time! My suffering and my pity—

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what do they matter! Should I strive formy happiness? I strive for my work! Well!The lion has come, my children are near,Zarathustra has grown ripe, my hour hascome:—This is my morning, my day begins:arise now, arise, you great noon!” Thus spokeZarathustra and left his cave, glowing andstrong, like a morning sun that comes outof dark mountains.32

The book ends in the triumph of the prophet ofcreation. Zarathustra is ripe for his owndestruction, willing to sacrifice himself forpower, for creation, and for his highest virtue.He has mastered the art of self-overcoming atlast, and is now ready to go under amongst humansone last time to seek out the one who will takehis gift from him.

It is fitting that we never encounter theindividual worthy of taking Zarathustra’s gift.This would entail a model for the next creator(for who could predict that circumstance, or whatnew virtues and values will replace the old ones—that is only for the creator to know). Rather,Zarathustra is a living example of what it meansto live out your own chosen virtue, with a strongwill and an understanding of self-overcoming.Standing alone and striving for work beyond joyor comfort or happiness is what is demanded ofcreator and the giver of that creation alike, andit took Zarathustra a lifetime to master. We

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should not be disheartened by the efforts made bythe prophet of creation. Instead, we should useZarathustra as an inspirational template tobetter ourselves, overcome our weaknesses, chooseour own values, and impart our gifts only uponthe worthy.

Conclusion: A Virtue LivedFor Zarathustra who loved humanity, his love

needed to be overcome. The fruition of his greatand continual effort is uncertain. Not even theprophet of creation is worthy to give his giftuntil the conclusion of the book. And we neverknow if he is ever able to give of his giftbefore he perishes himself. The gift of creationis a hard one to bear and demands suffering. Itis admittedly the very rare person who has thestrength to carry such a gift, let alone be aworthy recipient of it.

What Nietzsche has to offer—much like hisprotagonist Zarathustra—is not easy to stomach orembody. The subtitle to the book—A Book for All andNone—poignantly expresses this tension. If eventhe prophet is not yet worthy of his own messageuntil the conclusion, then it is truly a book forall and none, containing a message that must beread and grappled with to aid in the potentialfor new virtues to arise. Yet no one, not eventhe giver, is yet ready for the gift that willbring forth new creation. We as readers are left

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to figure out if it is possible for this giftthat Nietzsche has presented us with to evenexist at all. But perhaps Zarathustra is merelywaiting for the right audience to reap theharvest of his wisdom, contemplate what it meansto create, and to embody his gift by striving forhard work instead of pure joy, power overhappiness, and creation over comfort.

NOTES

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1 Friedrich Nietzsche, “The Land of Culture” in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, trans. Clancy Martin (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2005), 104-6.2 Ibid. 68.3 The concept of imposition is impossible to separate from normative valuing for Nietzsche. The fact that history imposes upon new people its cultures and values, which are then accepted without further thought manifests itself in nihilism (when valuation in itself has lost all meaningthrough its own continuation). Thus, creation becomes vital for any projectdesiring for the betterment of humankind.4 The Last Man is a state of existence that Zarathustra fears most: a humanity that has failed to strive for power, that ceases striving to overcome itself, a society where happiness and comfort are the highest values. Ibid.,13-4.5 Ibid., 177.6 Ibid., 67.7 Ibid., 66.8 Ibid., 65-6.9

10 Ibid., 66.11 Ibid., 174.12 Ibid., 170-1.13 At the conclusion, all of the Last Men that Zarathustra has invited to his cave are devoured by a lion: Ibid., 281.14 Ibid., 231.15 Ibid., 7.16 Ibid., 66.17 Ibid., 93.18 Ibid.19 Ibid., 127.20 Ibid., 128.21 Ibid., 170.22 Ibid., 184.23 Ibid., 191.24 Ibid.25 Ibid., 192.26 Ibid.27

28 Ibid., 8.29 Ibid., 231.30 Ibid., 78.31In this instance, the involuntary pity that he feels is so overwhelming that he turns away in shame upon realizing his emotions. Ibid., 226-9.

32 Ibid., 281.

Gift-Giving: Only for the Worthy

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Transcript of Gift-Giving: Only for the Worthy