Nietzsche

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Nietzsche

Nietzsche's philosophy was grounded in psychology and human nature, he was a master of human nature. He was a big fan of Arthur Schopenhauer but didn't agree with the tone of his work because it centered around persimism and nihilism, the idea of why bother since life is meaningless. Nietzsche's work is an answer to Schopenhauer's work, it is positive, practical and leads to a life of self-actualization. He was a genius, a man ahead of his time. He correctly predicted the 21st century, this is incredible for a man who was born in the 19th century. I see his observations playing out in life. He saw that the human spirit/soul would be under threat. He saw the decline of Christianity and the rise of nihilism. He saw the reliance of pills, the Soma that Huxley referred to on Brave New World. He saw the depression and society anxiety sweeping the West. He saw the loss of morals, ethics and meaning. He saw that man would be passive and moved by novelty after novelty. We see it today, man would rather sit on the couch, eat potato chips, consume pornography, order fast food that will be delivered to him at his convenience, be entertained by Netflix and repeat next day. Man doesn't work on himself anymore, he is comfortable and doesn't feel the need to act on his dreams.

Man is controlled by pleasure, by the dopamine inducing likes on social media, views, sex and everything you can get by pushing a button. There is no process anymore, everything is expedient or prepared in the microwave. Still, Nietzsche has solutions for the modern man. He preaches a life of self-realization and being the best that you can be. He preaches gratitude for life, he preaches life-affirming prescriptions. I understand why the Nazi's adopted his work and made it theirs. Nietzsche's work was powerful and centered on the individual being the best. Hitler wanted Germany to be the best in the world. However, Nietzsche's work didn't agree with Nazi ideology and we shouldn't affiliate the two together. Nietzsche's sisters are the guilty party in this dynamic but that's a topic for another day.

Nietzsche's works were inspiring for the individual, statements like "Amo Fati" direct translation, the love of fate - Love everything about your life and be grateful for the gift of life. Don't wish you were somebody else, be content with your life. Be present and don't worry about things you cannot control, leave that to God and the Universe. He also preached being the "Ubermench" which translates to Superman or Overman - work on yourself constantly and strive to be better everyday. Progress, show up, make the best of every moment and be the best that you can be. Be better than a consumer, create and build things and never let novelty sway you. His most famous quote, "God is dead" which can be interpreted as be accountable for your own life, be responsible, no excuses, do what you can, no one is coming out to save you.

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