The Art of Forgetting

by Peter Saint-Andre

Forgetting is an active faculty —
Not a lapse, but a force for robust health.
I cannot focus on each moment's wealth
Without maintaining this duality.

The key's remaining undisturbed and calm
By closing off the doors of consciousness,
Reposing in the present, fretting less,
Preserving inner order as a balm.

This quietude will help me clear the way
For action that's informed by finer thought;
By making room for doing what I ought,
I bring a farther sight to every day.

(cf. On the Genealogy of Morals, Second Essay, §1; First Essay, §10)


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Peter Saint-Andre > Writings > Nietzsche > Songs of Zarathustra