The story of Nietzsche and the “Ass Festival” is related to a section in his book “Thus Spoke Zarathustra.” The “Ass Festival” is a satirical and symbolic episode where Zarathustra encounters a group of higher men who are celebrating the festival of the ass. This festival is a mockery of traditional values and religious practices.

In this episode, the higher men, each representing different aspects of contemporary culture and intellectual life, are worshipping an ass, which symbolizes the inversion of traditional values and the rejection of conventional wisdom and morality. The ass, being a humble and foolish animal, is an ironic choice for worship, and this choice serves to critique the blind following of societal norms and the veneration of what Nietzsche saw as base or life-denying values.

The festival includes absurd and irreverent rituals, showing the participants’ disdain for established order and their embrace of freedom and individuality. Nietzsche uses this scene to illustrate his ideas about the death of God, the overthrow of traditional moral values, and the emergence of a new set of values that affirm life and creativity.

This episode reflects Nietzsche’s broader philosophical themes, such as the revaluation of all values, the will to power, and the creation of the Übermensch or overman, who would rise above conventional morality and forge a new, life-affirming path. The “Ass Festival” is a vivid, albeit controversial, illustration of these themes, showcasing Nietzsche’s critique of society and his vision for a new era of human existence.

The term “autophagy” comes from the Greek words “auto-” meaning “self” and “phagein” meaning “to eat.” So, autophagy literally translates to “self-eating.” It refers to a cellular process where cells break down and recycle their own components to maintain homeostasis and respond to stress.

The word “contemplation” originates from the Latin “contemplatio,” which is derived from the Latin verb “contemplari.” The prefix “con-” means “together,” and “templari” comes from “templum,” meaning “a place for observation.” “Templum” referred to a marked space for observing auguries or a sacred space, so “contemplari” essentially meant to observe or to gaze attentively within a designated sacred space or in a focused, reflective manner. Over time, “contemplation” came to be associated with deep, reflective thought or focused meditation, often with a spiritual or introspective dimension.

Just leave others alone?

To have an opinion is to think-

The word “opinion” comes from the Latin “opinio,” which means “conjecture, belief, what one thinks.” The root of “opinio” is “opinari,” which means “to suppose, to imagine, to think, to judge.” This Latin root is also the source of the English word “opine,” which means to express an opinion. The evolution of the term reflects the process of forming and expressing personal beliefs or judgments that are not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. Over time, “opinion” has come to signify a more general concept of beliefs or judgments that individuals hold, regardless of their factual accuracy or the strength of their underpinning evidence.

The path to mediocrity and boring work

1. Eugene Atget – The World of Atget
2. Walker Evans – American Photographs
3. Walker Evans – Subways and Streets
4. Robert Frank – The Americans
5. Henri Cartier-Bresson – Photographer
6. Tod Papageorge – Passing Through Eden
7. Helen Levitt – One, Two, Three, More
8. Larry Towell – The Mennonites
9. Sue Kwon – Street Level
10. Bruce Gilden – Haiti
11. Bruce Davidson – Subway
12. Daido Moriyama – Dear Mr. Niépce
13. Daido Moriyama – Phaidon
14. William Eggleston – Portraits
15. Mark Cohen – Frame
16. Mark Cohen – Grim Street
17. Josef Koudelka – Exiles
18. Josef Koudelka – Gypsies
19. Susan Meiselas – Nicaragua
20. William Klein – Celebration
21. William Klein – Brooklyn
22. Vivian Maeir – Retrospective
23. Alex Webb – The Suffering of Light
24. Alex Webb – La Calle
25. Alex Webb – Istanbul, City of a Hundred Names
26. Alex Webb – Brooklyn, The City Within
27. Harry Gruyaert – Between Worlds
28. Raúl Cañibano – Absolut Cuba
29. Sam Ferris – In Visible Light
30. Jason Eskenazi – Wonderland
31. Daniel Arnold – Pickpocket
32. Daniel Arnold – New York Life
33. Brian Karlsson – Book
34. Women Street Photographers
35. Magnum Streetwise
36. Reclaim the Street