25

He who hath grown wise concerning old origins, lo, he will at last seek after the fountains of the future and new origins.

O my brethren, not long will it be until new peoples shall arise and new fountains shall rush down into new depths.

For the earthquake — it choketh up many wells, it causeth much languishing; but it bringeth also to light inner powers and secrets.

The earthquake discloseth new fountains. In the earthquake of old peoples new fountains burst forth.

And whoever calleth out: ‘Lo, here is a well for many thirsty ones, one heart for many longing ones, one will for many instruments’ — around him collecteth a people, that is to say, many attempting ones.

Who can command, who must obey — that is there attempted! Ah, with what long seeking and solving and failing and learning and re-attempting!

Human society: it is an attempt — so I teach — a long seeking; it seeketh however the ruler —

An attempt, my brethren! And no ‘contract’! Destroy, I pray you, destroy that word of the soft-hearted and half-and-half!

26

O my brethren! With whom lieth the greatest danger to the whole human future? Is it not with the good and just?

As those who say and feel in their hearts: ‘We already know what is good and just, we possess it also; woe to those who still seek thereafter!’

And whatever harm the wicked may do, the harm of the good is the harmfulest harm!

And whatever harm the world-maligners may do, the harm of the good is the harmfulest harm!

O my brethren, into the hearts of the good and just looked some one once on a time, who said: ‘They are the Pharisees.’ But people did not understand him.

The good and just themselves were not free to understand him; their spirit was imprisoned in their good conscience. The stupidity of the good is unfathomably wise.

It is the truth, however, that the good must be Pharisees — they have no choice!

The good must crucify him who deviseth his own virtue! That is the truth!

The second one, however, who discovered their country — the country, heart and soil of the good and just — it was he who asked: ‘Whom do they hate most?’

The creator hate they most, him who breaketh the tables and old values, the breaker — him they call the law-breaker.

For the good — they cannot create; they are always the beginning of the end —

They crucify him who writeth new values on new tables, they sacrifice unto themselves the future — they crucify the whole human future!