Serenity and peace
Heidegger’s book “Serenity” divides contemporary thought between what calculates and what meditates, about what calculates he states:
“The thought that calculates (das rechnende Denken) makes calculations. It makes calculations with continually new possibilities, always with greater perspectives and simultaneously more economical. The thought that calculates goes from opportunity to opportunity. Thought that calculates never stops, never comes to meditate.” (p. 13).
The text reflects that there is no “elevated” meditation, every man thinks and thought can lead to meditation, but calculation does not threaten this innermost being:
Heidegger reminds us that to truly think we must all think about our roots, in a more contemporary way, not to deny our origins and their influence on our worldview, even if limited, he states: “the rootedness (die Bodentändigkeit) of modern Man is threatened in its most intimate essence. Furthermore: the loss of rooting is not caused only by external circumstances and fatalities of destiny, nor is it the effect of negligence and the superficial way of Men. The loss of rootedness comes from the spirit of the times into which we were all born” (p. 17).
The most surprising thing about this text, which is from 1995, is that the “most tormenting characteristic is the atomic bomb”, we cannot forget that we have 440 atomic plants plus 23 under construction (in the photo the Fukushima accident), he realizes that the thought that he calculates only sees the industrial possibilities and the need for the energies of nature, but he meditates on what this domain of nature actually means.
“The power hidden in contemporary technology determines Man’s relationship with that which exists. It dominates the entire Earth. Man is already beginning to leave Earth towards cosmic space…” (p. 19), which in addition to being incredibly current also had a foreboding about the future.
But he did not fail to see the danger of these “great atomic energies”, and thus: “he assures humanity that such colossal energies, suddenly, anywhere – even without warlike actions – do not escape our control, and “take the brakes on teeth” and annihilate everything?” (p.20).
In addition to Fukushima, there is the fateful Chernobyl accident, precisely in Ukraine and carried out with Russian collaboration, and the current war there are battles very close to the largest atomic plant in Zaporizhzhia, built between 1984 and 1995, it is the largest nuclear plant in Europe and the ninth largest in the world.
Russia’s threats must be taken seriously, a nuclear war puts the entire civilization process and perhaps humanity itself at risk, serenity and peace are needed.
Western thought has submitted to the cold and calculating mathematical and physical thought, which even it is in check.
Heidegger, M. (no date) Serenidade (Serenity). Transl. de Maria Madalena Andrade e Olga Santos. Lisboa: Instituto Piaget, s/d. (portuguese)