The Project Gutenberg EBook of Vergnglichkeit, by Sigmund Freud

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Title: Vergnglichkeit

Author: Sigmund Freud

Release Date: July 26, 2009 [EBook #29514]

Language: German

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VERGNGLICHKEIT ***




Produced by Jana Srna and Philipp Zeinlinger








  [ Anmerkungen zur Transkription:

    Der Text stammt aus: Das Land Goethes 1914-1916. Ein vaterlndisches
    Gedenkbuch. Herausgegeben vom Berliner Goethebund. Stuttgart und
    Berlin: Deutsche Verlangs-Anstalt 1916. S. 37-38.

    Schreibweise und Interpunktion des Originaltextes wurden bernommen.
  ]




Vergnglichkeit


Vor einiger Zeit machte ich in Gesellschaft eines schweigsamen Freundes
und eines jungen, bereits rhmlich bekannten Dichters einen Spaziergang
durch eine blhende Sommerlandschaft. Der Dichter bewunderte die
Schnheit der Natur um uns, aber ohne sich ihrer zu erfreuen. Ihn strte
der Gedanke, da all diese Schnheit dem Vergehen geweiht war, da sie
im Winter dahingeschwunden sein werde, aber ebenso jede menschliche
Schnheit und alles Schne und Edle, was Menschen geschaffen haben und
schaffen knnten. Alles, was er sonst geliebt und bewundert htte,
schien ihm entwertet durch das Schicksal der Vergnglichkeit, zu dem es
bestimmt war.

Wir wissen, da von solcher Versenkung in die Hinflligkeit alles
Schnen und Vollkommenen zwei verschiedene seelische Regungen ausgehen
knnen. Die eine fhrt zu dem schmerzlichen Weltberdru des jungen
Dichters, die andere zur Auflehnung gegen die behauptete Tatschlichkeit.
Nein, es ist unmglich, da all diese Herrlichkeiten der Natur und der
Kunst, unserer Empfindungswelt und der Welt drauen, wirklich in Nichts
zergehen sollten. Es wre zu unsinnig, und zu frevelhaft daran zu
glauben. Sie mssen in irgend einer Weise fortbestehen knnen, allen
zerstrenden Einflssen entrckt.

Allein diese Ewigkeitsforderung ist zu deutlich ein Erfolg unseres
Wunschlebens, als da sie auf einen Realittswert Anspruch erheben
knnte. Auch das Schmerzliche kann wahr sein. Ich konnte mich weder
entschlieen, die allgemeine Vergnglichkeit zu bestreiten, noch fr das
Schne und Vollkommene eine Ausnahme zu erzwingen. Aber ich bestritt dem
pessimistischen Dichter, da die Vergnglichkeit des Schnen eine
Entwertung desselben mit sich bringe.

Im Gegenteil, eine Wertsteigerung! Der Vergnglichkeitswert ist ein
Seltenheitswert in der Zeit. Die Beschrnkung in der Mglichkeit des
Genusses erhht dessen Kostbarkeit. Ich erklrte es fr unverstndlich,
wie der Gedanke an die Vergnglichkeit des Schnen uns die Freude an
demselben trben sollte. Was die Schnheit der Natur betrifft, so kommt
sie nach jeder Zerstrung durch den Winter im nchsten Jahre wieder, und
diese Wiederkehr darf im Verhltnis zu unserer Lebensdauer als eine ewige
bezeichnet werden. Die Schnheit des menschlichen Krpers und Angesichts
sehen wir innerhalb unseres eigenen Lebens fr immer schwinden, aber
diese Kurzlebigkeit fgt zu ihren Reizen einen neuen hinzu. Wenn es eine
Blume giebt, welche nur eine einzige Nacht blht, so erscheint uns ihre
Blte darum nicht minder prchtig. Wie die Schnheit und Vollkommenheit
des Kunstwerks und der intellektuellen Leistung durch deren zeitliche
Beschrnkung entwertet werden sollte, vermochte ich ebensowenig
einzusehen. Mag eine Zeit kommen, wenn die Bilder und Statuen, die wir
heute bewundern, zerfallen sind, oder ein Menschengeschlecht nach uns,
welches die Werke unserer Dichter und Denker nicht mehr versteht, oder
selbst eine geologische Epoche, in der alles Lebende auf der Erde
verstummt ist, der Wert all dieses Schnen und Vollkommenen wird nur
durch seine Bedeutung fr unser Empfindungsleben bestimmt, braucht
dieses selbst nicht zu berdauern und ist darum von der absoluten
Zeitdauer unabhngig.

Ich hielt diese Erwgungen fr unanfechtbar, bemerkte aber, da ich dem
Dichter und dem Freunde keinen Eindruck gemacht hatte. Ich schlo aus
diesem Mierfolg auf die Einmengung eines starken affektiven Moments,
welches ihr Urteil trbte, und glaubte dies auch spter gefunden zu
haben. Es mu die seelische Auflehnung gegen die Trauer gewesen sein,
welche ihnen den Genu des Schnen entwertete. Die Vorstellung, da dies
Schne vergnglich sei, gab den beiden Empfindsamen einen Vorgeschmack
der Trauer um seinen Untergang, und da die Seele von allem Schmerzlichen
instinktiv zurckweicht, fhlten sie ihren Genu am Schnen durch den
Gedanken an dessen Vergnglichkeit beeintrchtigt.

Die Trauer ber den Verlust von etwas, das wir geliebt oder bewundert
haben, erscheint dem Laien so natrlich, da er sie fr selbstverstndlich
erklrt. Dem Psychologen aber ist die Trauer ein groes Rtsel, eines
jener Phnomene, die man selbst nicht klrt, auf die man aber anderes
Dunkle zurckfhrt. Wir stellen uns vor, da wir ein gewisses Ma von
Liebesfhigkeit, genannt Libido, besitzen, welches sich in den Anfngen
der Entwicklung dem eigenen Ich zugewendet hatte. Spter, aber eigentlich
von sehr frhe an, wendet es sich vom Ich ab und den Objekten zu, die wir
solcher Art gewissermaen in unser Ich hineinnehmen. Werden die Objekte
zerstrt oder gehen sie uns verloren, so wird unsere Liebesfhigkeit
(Libido) wieder frei. Sie kann sich andere Objekte zum Ersatz nehmen
oder zeitweise zum Ich zurckkehren. Warum aber diese Ablsung der
Libido von ihren Objekten ein so schmerzhafter Vorgang sein sollte, das
verstehen wir nicht und knnen es derzeit aus keiner Annahme ableiten.
Wir sehen nur, da sich die Libido an ihre Objekte klammert und die
verlorenen auch dann nicht aufgeben will, wenn der Ersatz bereit liegt.
Das also ist die Trauer.

Die Unterhaltung mit dem Dichter fand im Sommer vor dem Krieg statt. Ein
Jahr spter brach der Krieg herein und raubte der Welt ihre Schnheiten.
Er zerstrte nicht nur die Schnheit der Landschaften, die er durchzog,
und die Kunstwerke, an die er auf seinem Wege streifte, er brach auch
unseren Stolz auf die Errungenschaften unserer Kultur, unseren Respekt
vor so vielen Denkern und Knstlern, unsere Hoffnungen auf eine endliche
berwindung der Verschiedenheiten unter Vlkern und Rassen. Er beschmutzte
die erhabene Unparteilichkeit unserer Wissenschaft, stellte unser
Triebleben in seiner Nacktheit blos, entfesselte die bsen Geister
in uns, die wir durch die Jahrhunderte whrende Erziehung von Seiten
unserer Edelsten dauernd gebndigt glaubten. Er machte unser Vaterland
wieder klein und die andere Erde wieder fern und weit. Er raubte uns
sovieles, was wir geliebt hatten, und zeigte uns die Hinflligkeit von
manchem, was wir fr bestndig gehalten hatten.

Es ist nicht zu verwundern, da unsere an Objekten so verarmte Libido
mit umso grerer Intensitt besetzt hat, was uns verblieben ist, da
die Liebe zum Vaterland, die Zrtlichkeit fr unsern Nchsten und der
Stolz auf unsere Gemeinsamkeiten jh verstrkt worden sind. Aber jene
anderen, jetzt verlorenen Gter, sind sie uns wirklich entwertet worden,
weil sie sich als so hinfllig und widerstandsunfhig erwiesen haben?
Vielen unter uns scheint es so, aber ich meine wiederum, mit Unrecht.
Ich glaube, die so denken und zu einem dauernden Verzicht bereit
scheinen, weil das Kostbare sich nicht als haltbar bewhrt hat, befinden
sich nur in der Trauer ber den Verlust. Wir wissen, die Trauer, so
schmerzhaft sie sein mag, luft spontan ab. Wenn sie auf alles Verlorene
verzichtet hat, hat sie sich auch selbst aufgezehrt, und dann wird unsere
Libido wiederum frei, um sich, insoferne wir noch jung und lebenskrftig
sind, die verlorenen Objekte durch mglichst gleich kostbare oder
kostbarere neue zu ersetzen. Es steht zu hoffen, da es mit den
Verlusten dieses Krieges nicht anders gehen wird. Wenn erst die Trauer
berwunden ist, wird es sich zeigen, da unsere Hochschtzung der
Kulturgter unter der Erfahrung von ihrer Gebrechlichkeit nicht gelitten
hat. Wir werden alles wieder aufbauen, was der Krieg zerstrt hat,
vielleicht auf festerem Grund und dauerhafter als vorher.

=Wien=, November 1915.

                                                     Sigm. Freud





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