[Weltschmerz]

When I refer to what Heidegger says etc, here it is based chiefly on my reading of Being and Time.

I have noted upon reading Heidegger, what a profound influence he is on our time. I think that this influence more often than not goes via those who issued a polemic on Heidegger. What has made a stronger impression seems to be the negative side of Heidegger, while the positive side has been discarded as thought-crime.

An example of this is the modern skepsis against tradition. Heidegger was a critic of tradition. He thought that tradition promoted those things that would conceal the essences of tradition, the truth in it or something similar at least. That point of view has had a tremendous impact on European culture in my opinion. I hear people say very similar things of tradition quite often. Or they even claim that tradition is barren. Some people even affirm tradition because it is tradition, while they view it as mere practice without meaning.

But Heidegger was convinced that it was possible to unveil the essences of tradition, and he also undertook this task himself. He transcended his own critique of tradition and gave tradition meaning. I think that the veiled nature of tradition in Heidegger's thought is derived from human beings being turned away from Being. Thus it is possible to find a remedy to meaninglessness, even if it requires some proper thought on the part of the individual.