The Forest Passage

All of Junger's work is essential reading for young men today, it's as simple as that. You can see how the topics addressed in his books reflect the subtle changes in his worldview as he grows older and more dissatisfied with the metapolitics of the 20th century. The only downside (and this is the case with all German writers) is that his German does not always translate so well into English.The following is a relevant passage from the book:"Fear is symptomatic of our times - and it is all the more disturbing as it comes on the heels of an epoch of great individual freedom, in which hardships of the kind portrayed by Dickens were already virtually forgotten.How did such a shift come about? If we want to pick out a turning point none could be more appropriate than the day the Titanic went down. Here light and shadow collide starkly: the hubris of progress with panic, the highest comfort with destruction, and automatism with a catastrophe manifested as a traffic accident.In fact, the growing automatism is closely connected with the fear, in the sense that man restricts his own power of decision in favor of technological expediencies. This brings all manner of conveniences - but an increasing loss of freedom must necessarily also result. The individual no longer stands in society like a tree in a forest; instead, he resembles a passenger on a fast-moving vessel, which could be called Titanic, or also Leviathan. While the weather holds and the outlook remains pleasant, he will hardly perceive the state of reduced freedom that he has fallen into. On the contrary, an optimism arises, a sense of power produced by the high speed.All this will change when fire-spitting islands and icebergs loom on the horizon. Then, not only does technology step over from the field of comfort into very different domains, but the lack of freedom simultaneously becomes apparent - be it in a triumph of elemental powers, or in the fact that any individuals who have remained strong command an absolute authority."

I desired to enter the literary world of Ernst Junger, and started with "The Forest Passage". Junger's message is vague yet precise - his message could resonate with anyone, regardless of their political leanings. Junger stresses the importance of individuality and freedom, a concept that has been central to man far longer than that of politics, reason, and religion. He describes the forest passage as accessible to anyone willing to make the trek. His arguments regard the individual and his forest passage as the only truly concrete concepts, with all other facets of man constructs liable to collapse. His critique of autonomy hints at some anarcho-primitivist sympathies, but nonetheless they are well-founded and crucial to his message. "The Forest Passage" dives into the depths of humanity, only rarely and briefly breaching for air to mention modern concepts such as centralized healthcare and the legality of rights.The introduction references the Anarch, describing "The Forest passage" as a useful stepping stone to understanding "Eumeswil", as the reader can follow the development of Junger's philosophy through his post-war works. Written two decades prior to "Eumeswil", "The Forest Passage" seems to be the point of inflection for Junger's corpus, but having read only this work at present date, I certainly am no authority on the manner.I've now purchased "Storm of Steel" and "On Pain" as his next works to read. I hope to be able to read his magnum opus "Eumeswil" sometime following my acquisition of the previous.

Junger’s The Forest Passage comes off a bit schizophrenic. In certain parts, it reads like a guerrilla warfare manual for rebels fighting a dictatorship or an occupying army. Indeed, for whole sections at a time, it is unmistakably clear he is talking about just that—surviving and combating real dictatorial regimes. He isn’t being metaphorical or using hyperbole. He is talking about countries where true dictators rig elections to get nearly a hundred percent of the votes (see sections 1-9). This is Junger the realist (and WWI stormtrooper vet), concerned with an underground realpolitiks, offering his advice to a tiny minority in actual rebellion against an actual dictatorship or occupying force. Then, in other passages, there is Junger the idealist (and sci-fi novelist), where his words might speak to a broader audience—to “man in the modern world” (Jaspers)—by means of a more widely applicable existential message concerned with defending individuality and freedom against the “automatism” of modernity (pp. 22 & 25). In these parts, the book reads like a spiritual warfare manual, where the enemy isn’t concrete, absolute dictators or occupying forces, but sweeping, intangible, abstract trends. One moment he’s talking about sabotaging bridges, railways, and communication lines (p. 75) and the next he’s talking like an existentialist about time and “the void” (p. 57), about “man’s encounter with himself” (p. 53). Junger appears to be changing his footing back and forth without rhyme or reason. Who was Junger really writing to? A few rebel fighters in dictatorial regimes (guerrilla warfare manual) or the individual in modernity (spiritual warfare manual)? The evidence is squarely with the former, for facing “the void” and overcoming fear (p. 30) is highly pertinent to those combating occupying forces and dictatorships, but blowing up bridges, train tracks, and communication lines has no relevance or value for the individual looking for ways to spiritually survive, resist, and challenge certain trends of modernity. Indeed, Junger explicitly states that undertaking the forest passage “cannot be limited to the conquest of purely interior realms” (p. 35) or “reduced to the founding of yoga schools” (p. 33). So while there certainly are edifications, so-to-speak, to be had in this slim volume—while parts may reach out and speak to some readers, who find it to be a valuable diagnosis and antidote regarding some of the ills of modernity—just know that this is not first and foremost a spiritual warfare manual but a guerrilla warfare manual.The Forest Passage (1951) by Ernst Junger (Telos Press, 2013).