This guy experienced drumfire for months on the front line, was present at the great offensives of 1918, survived hell on earth, was the first to attack along with his fellow Stoßtruppen and had the balls to say that War was a good thing when it all ended. He experienced probably one of the worst things in human history and did not view it as a total evil, it didn't break him. He lived to be a over 100 years old. It's unbelievable what life this man lived.

Its fascinating how Jünger and others (Huxley & Bradbury in their dystopian futures) got it spot on - we live in a world of comfort now and how we actively avoid pain. However, through pain and challenge we can find ourselves.

I have a feeling I'll be coming back to this video when I'm struggling, thanks dude. I need this book right now.

Halfway through the review I started doing pushups

Well said, my friend! As a long-time, commited reader and student of Ernst Jünger, you can't imagine how refreshing it is for me to hear something as clear and to the point as your review of On Pain. Moreover, after having apparently only read two books, Storms of Steel and On Pain. you've grasped more of the spirit and worldview of EJ than most scholars of his work. Can I suggest another EJ review: The Glass Bees is an incredibly prescient science fiction novel from around 1950 in which the internet (in its essence, not merely in its functional form), nanotechnology, computer animation, Steve Jobs/Bill Gates/Jeff Bezos, drone warfare, and many more technological innovations are foreshadowed. Not to mention the far more important conflicts that must inevitably exist between the perfection of technology and the perfection of man. Sorry ... I don't want to make a lecture, only interest you in reading it :-) A heavier task at some point would also be Eumeswil, Juenger's real masterpiece.... And a lighter one: The Adventurous Heart: Figures and Capriccios. Both available at Telos, the only publisher currently taking interest in new English translations of Juenger. Again, great job on this short review!

I just got storm of steel for Christmas a few minutes ago. You always time your videos so well.

Great review. I was looking for something similar to 'Sun and Steel', so I'm really glad you posted this.

Storm of Steel was one of the favorite books that I picked up on your recommendation, so I'm excited for this.

"This is for me too" Perfect quote, your videos have offered great insight. If you ever feel discouraged at least know you made me, 1 random person, all the more grateful for your existence, and my own.

Cliff man, you're a bad ass, I stumbled across you when searching for reviews for Zulawski's Possession over a year ago. I'm glad I found you. Happy Holidays to you as well!

I can't thank you enough for making this video, I needed this. Thank you, fellow reader.

Arvo Pärt is truly incredible. "De Profundis" is simply out of this world. It's great to see that your choice in books is equalled by your taste in music. Keep it up, man, and I hope you'll have a beautiful Christmas!

Just discovered your channel man and I'm seeing some other quality books in your reviews! Subscribed!

Not only a very good review, but inspirational as well. Already read the great "Storms Of Steel", and I'll definitely pick up this book after listening to your comments. THANKS!

I am lucky enough to have this be my introduction to your great channel.

What happened to your film review channel dude! Either way, love your commentary :)

Jesus, everything you said here is exactly what I needed to hear right now to start facing certain things I've been avoiding lately. I'll have to get this book now. Thanks for doing what you do and Merry Christmas!

Also I'm a big fan of Arvo Part and other contemporary classical composers like Penderecki, Ligeti and Glass, but Part is something very unique and beautiful in that sphere.

arvo part is by far my favorite classical composer. the use of the arpeggios from fratres in there will blood is probably what got me into him and i haven't looked back ever since.

Funnily enough, I've actually already read this essay after I read Mishima's Sun and Steel based on your recommendation; I became very interested in the philosophy of strength training and a like minded friend suggest Junger. It's hard, man. In a world of incessant placation and creative lethargy it's REALLY fucking hard not to succumb to the comforting embrace of the hollow entertainment that pervades our culture, and not to allow the cruel pleasures of junk food to eat you alive. You are 100% right that it's impossible to follow anyone's advice 100% of the time, including your own. It's just a massive struggle, and it's really important to get to know pain as well as you get to know pleasure, just to keep you grounded. Excellent video! Living in a thoroughly gentrified area of New York, it's indescribably heartening to be grounded like this.

I had no idea you reviewed Jünger but I shouldn’t be surprised. This is awesome, also awesome that you love Arvo Pärt. You have fantastic taste.

This is an old video I know, but there is something to be said about the experience of unwarranted pain as opposed to self-inflicted or invited pain. Living on both extremes of this myself, I do become a little too self-aware of the fact that in my more comfortable 30's I self-inflict pain through fasting, extreme fitness endeavors, and sleep depravation (basically, so I can dedicate more hours-per-day to other goals than sleeping). This relationship I've developed to pain is much different than as a youth where, in poverty, I dealt with cold winters without heat, going hungry simply because of poverty, living in a violent community where one could get jumped on a whim simply because of some infantile rumor, and then my military service right into adulthood. As a youth I had to learn to accept pain and dissociate from it, even accept it's inevitability. In recent years I bring pain upon myself as some kind of masochistic challenge through extreme fitness and hardline religious piety. I don't dissociate from pain anymore, I embrace it and think hard on it while experiencing it. Its a much different experience, and I personally don't think the self-imposed pain carries the same measure of personal growth as the unwarranted, unexpected pain. I think in our comfort, and the existential pain as a result of it, we bring pain upon ourselves to generate purpose and meaning. Which is just another method of pain avoidance, deciding that physical pain is preferable to psychological/spiritual pain.

Couldn't find a link to the documentary in the comments. But if u guys are wondering what he is refering to just search for "102 Years in the Heart of Europe: A Portrait of Ernst Jünger"

Might you recall in which video did you quoted you professor- and I'm paraphrasing- "One never looks cool whilst improving." Thanks.

Love this video, dude. So valuable, truly

Have you read Pushkin's Eugene Onegin? Quality varies very widely based on translation, but Its one of my personal favorites.

+Better Than Food: Book Reviews I just started reading The Will To Power earlier this week and am really starting to enjoy it. Have you read any / are you ever going to review any Nietzche in the near future?

Good video, some thoughts in response: The concept of learning to love pain is interesting. I know from experience that living a life wherein there is no "conflict", no self-challenging, no sense of growth or newness, is a certain kind of pain in itself. A possible equivalent statement to this idea of "learn to love pain" is "learn to avoid stagnancy". And certainly stagnancy is a threat. You also touch on the concept of responsibility. Certainly, individuals are probably responsible to varying degrees for many failures and shortcomings. At the same time, there's a specific danger I think in putting all of your weight into the concept of personal responsibility when weighing "who/what is at fault" for something. I think a lot of people have extreme discomfort with affirming that sometimes people are powerless, and I think that's something that's equally important to recognize as a person's own culpability for their situation. Some people simply don't have the capacity to do certain things. Sometimes people are just not afforded the same opportunities. Sometimes people are victims. It strikes me as reasonable to recognize that, and rectify it to the greatest degree feasible. There seems to be a popular sentiment that one is a victim only if you allow yourself to be, which is a sentiment I find naive. There's psychological utility in this sentiment: it evades powerlessness. Just as the complete succumbing to the idea of powerlessness evades any sense of responsibility. So there is a balance to be struck, here, in my view. We shouldn't put so much weight into our powerlessness that we become paralyzed and stagnant, while simultaneously we can't put so much weight into "personal responsibility" that we're blinded to limitations, inequalities, and the blunt reality that sometimes people are served shit sandwiches. This reality is condemnable, and it can be reasonable for the recipients of said shit sandwiches to complain about it, and unreasonable of us to condemn the recipients for "not trying hard enough". All of this said, we shouldn't let the possibility that we don't have the capacity to do something, or that we are less privileged in whatever fashion, cripple our confidence in our own agency. We shouldn't allow it to be an excuse to *not even try*. It serves that purpose too often, and its something that I've fallen prey to many times. Also, yes, Arvo Part rules.

So my comment didn't post for whatever reason, maybe I didn't wait long enough. Anyway I just wanted you to know that this review was what I needed to hear, Fall Semester kicked my ass, I've been pretty bitter and upset since break started because of it. While listening to your review it dawned on me that I'm the reason it kicked my ass, not my professor, not my job, not my family, me, myself and I that's who caused it to be hard. I've gotta embrace my shortcomings and become a better person, thanks to this review I now know that. Funny part is I haven't even read the book yet. If the review has already made me look inwards I can only imagine what the book will do to me. Another thing too, I hate when KZfaqrs ask for their viewers to check out Patreon. I think Patreon is dumb, and a way to make KZfaqrs lazy. With that all being said after this review I didn't hesitate donating to you. I'm only in the dollar club but hopefully if life works out after I work hard enough I can donate more per month. Keep doing what you're doing man! I'll keep recommending you to everyone I know. You're the reason I've gotten back into reading and trying newer things and not just sitting on my couch wasting away. Thanks for that man! Now I'm done being a clutz so sorry for the long read. Better than food man!

Most valuable content I have seen in a very long time

Brilliant - watched three times - sharing - thank you , thank you

Awesome stuff, thanks for the video!

A friend of mine who aspired to become a big deal in the military was so into Ernst Jünger. I heard that his prose is EXTREMELY difficult to read, though. That is in German, don't know about the translation.

who is this john saint-mes? i cannot find him on youtube, nor online. Perhaps you could provide a link?

dope, hope there's some herman hesse coming soon

Off topic, but what happened to your film reviews?

Have you read "Swan Song" by Robert McCammon? If so, I would love to hear your review! It's a really interesting take on a post-apocalyptic America after a nuclear war with Russia. Not only is the imagery incredibly, ridiculously, unforgivably disturbing, but it incorporates many interesting themes that aren't normally included in apocalyptic literature. I highly recommend it.

One of your best !

Merry Christmas, Cliff!!!! 102 eh? those are some good genes!!!

Lets please make this clear, Ernst Junger was a WW1 german hero, he was not a nazi and spent WW2 serving in the Wehrmacht, mostly in Paris, He turned down the offer of command, refused joining the party and ridiculed the nazi's. He spent most of the war in Paris, drinking wine and enjoying the company of friends. He surrendered to the allies as soon as the opportunity presented itself. He was also a friend of chemist Albert Hofman whom he met in 1949. Junger experimented with LSD and thought the drug might be useful in the treatment of "shell shock" (PTSD).

I'm not surprised that you're a Jack Donovan fan. I'd wondered before if you've read him. I find him fascinating and grotesque. Have you ever met Jack? He lives in Portland. He is terribly enigmatic, which is odd for a lefty brown person like me. If you haven't already heard them, I recommend listening to the band "Thou", specifically the album "heathen" which has tracks with titles like "Ode to Physical Pain". I listen to it while deadlifting. Also, randomly, I'm pretty sure I've met you before. Thanks for the reviews.

Where'd you get the denim shirt you wore in the Eve Babitz review

Ran a half marathon to test myself after watching this. Thank you.

The Cliff Sargent approach to reviewing books can't be beat.

Read Storm of Steel which was fantastic so I will definitely make sure to read this

The ability to endure pain and suffering is essentially Christian. Junger must've realized this when he converted to Roman Catholicism.

I've read "Storm of Steel" there's some great interviews of Junger on KZfaq.

Hello! Have you read any Marguerite Yourcenar or Marguerite Duras? They are two French authors whose work I highly recommend! Especially "Memoirs of Hadrian", that deals with stoics and the meaning of life and ancient philosophy, form the former, and "Hiroshima my love", from the latter, that also has a movie which is astonishing! I'm sure you'd enjoy these!!

Pure Brilliance!!! You should come and talk about my Ph.D. program. We are doing this book as part of our studies in philosophy

Reminds me of Robinson Jeffers attitudes towards humanity and politics.... he managed to piss off everyone too, a contrarian with a purpose. Although Jeffers was antiwar, he was accused of fascist sympathies because of his lack of enthusiasm for WW2 and also because of his neo-stoic philosophy of inhumanity and classical style poetry. Love Junger.

I do a 48 hour fast each week. You learn to appreciate it.

Great review. I wish the book wasn't so damn expensive.

Sounds interesting. Especially for a working class minimum wage teenager like myself. You've just to got to take inventory of the shit you can't do and figure out the shit you can do which if all goes well will lead to you being able to afford the other shit. Basically, if you can do something do it and if you can't you just have to accept the pain as a part of you and learn some lessons. Easier said then done. I'm definitely buying this when I can. Thanks once again, mister Sergeant.

You should definetely check out Eumesvil, it is the culmination of a tragic conservative revolutionary. It is not a libertarian manifesto - quite the opposite from it. Junger, ultimately makes an apt critique of the modern condition - the democraticised west german. I think it is ultimately refreshing, since it highlights Junger''s contempt towards the mediocrity, that the modern condition cultivates among it's subordinates. The ending - is quite interesting in a sense of the protagonist and antagonist peacefully passing on in the twilight of ages together. Really makes one think about wether or not - he did in fact had some reconciliations with the figures of the early to mid period of the 20th century.

Thanks man

Hey, thanks for uploading this. Junger is a very important and very misunderstood figure, who shouldn't just be left to the Breitbart crowd to interpret. I just discovered your channel, and I like your positive, honest style--something that's lacking in a lot of current discourse. A critique, however-- Maybe summarize the book and its ideas first, and then give your take? I felt like the video oscillated a bit too much between Junger and your take on life. Both of which are great, but maybe a little more structure might be useful.

Yes.

I'd argue that pain in the form of weightlifting, or really any exercise for that matter, is hardly pain at all considering the endogenous opioids released during exercise more than offset any real suffering that might come about from the activity. Same for academic pursuits, music practice, reading, etc - there is very little pure pain going on and a fairly large + dopamine reward that makes that kind of work distinct from something that I would consider worthy of the title "painful". Of course, if you have a fucked up internal reward circuit, then you won't get those d2 based rewards, and your work/workouts may really require something a bit more akin to pain and suffering, which is all the more reason to abstain from activities with high addictive potential that will dysregulate your body's reward system. Universally, suffering is almost certainly a bad thing, and pain is little more than an outdated tool for survival resulting from Darwinian evolution.

Recommend 'A Voyage to Arcturus'

i listen to audeo books but thats only a result of my dyslexia that being said i have read Machiavelli's the prince but in general i use audio books because its a way to overcome my dyslexia.

Are you on Goodreads.

Both thumbs up

You say on 4.22 that inflicting pain is cowardly. Why is the voluntary infliction of (excessive) pain on others for one's own benefit cowardly?

I've heard "The Forrest Passage " is a big deal also...

...it is the most single convincing argument for the absence of any god, but anyway , do you know Henryk Gorecki? ( ...Sinfonie der Klagelieder...Genius!

Perfect video at the perfect time in my life! Loove your videos! Currently in the middle of The Fall after your recommendation. It's an awesome book that basically sums up my existence and everything I ever thought to this point. Although I already liked Camus, this hasn't been on my radar. While talking about french authors: Are you familiar with the amazing work ethics of Honoré de Balzac? It was fucking crazy and he should to this day be a role model for everybody who's trying to succeed in any artistic branch. Have a wonderful time during the next few weeks. I know exactly how fucked up it can be. EDIT: I just read up about Ernst Jünger and as a german I would like to say that he really had some questionable thoughts about jews and a strange affiliation to the nazi party. You should maybe reconsider or at least read some shit he said at the time.

He wasn't a Nazi.

Great review, as always. A bit preachy and disabusing, though.

jean san whut?

He didn't call Céline a total prick. Liar! The interviewer called Céline a total antisemite. Jünger laughed and agreed with him. Don't impose your judeophilea onto Jünger.

BLAME YOUR DOG! HAHAHA OMG!

"Comrade Snowflake". You, I like you

Do a review on some of Jack Donovan's work.

there is an awful lot of you in this video and not a lot of jünger!