I beseech you, my brothers, remain faithful to the earth, and do not believe those who speak to you of otherworldly hopes! Poison-mixers are they, whether they know it or not. Despisers of life are they, decaying and poisoned themselves, of whom the earth is weary: so let them go. Once the sin against God was the greatest sin; but God died, and these sinners died with him. To sin against the earth is now the most dreadful thing, and to esteem the entrails of the unknowable higher than the meaning of the earth... What is the greatest experience you can have? It is the hour of the great contempt. The hour when your happiness, too, arouses your disgust, and even your reason and your virtue.

Summary

This quote by Friedrich Nietzsche speaks to the idea of remaining grounded in the present and finding fulfillment in earthly experiences rather than seeking transcendence or otherworldly hopes. Nietzsche criticizes those who promote ideas of an afterlife or higher purpose, referring to them as "poison-mixers" and "despisers of life." He suggests that sinning against the earth, neglecting its value and meaning, is now the most dreadful thing. Nietzsche alludes to a profound moment, the "hour of the great contempt," when even one's own happiness, reason, and virtue can inspire disgust. This challenges traditional notions of morality and questions the pursuit of ultimate meaning beyond the earthly realm.

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