Embracing Struggle: Nietzsche's Guide to a Stronger Self
When we talk about the philosophy of strength, one name is sure to come up: Friedrich Nietzsche.
Through his explosive writing, Nietzsche shed light on the human condition as few thinkers in history did.
And, although his works offer insights ranging from how to recognize true friends to proclaiming that "God is dead and we have killed him," it seems that most people get the greatest value out of his writings on facing and dealing with life’s difficulties.
What does Nietzsche have to tell us about struggle, suffering, and strength? How can his philosophy guide us toward a stronger self?
Suffering and Strength: A Path Through Hell to Heaven
"The path to one's own heaven always leads through the voluptuousness of one's own hell."
Nietzsche believed that suffering can have immense value for the individual. It's not a detached, abstract concept but a deeply personal experience, intricate and unique to each person. Suffering, for Nietzsche, is not something to be pitied. He observes,
"Our personal and profoundest suffering is incomprehensible and inaccessible to almost everyone."
Pity, for Nietzsche, is a misguided response. It disregards the personal aspect of suffering and tries to take away its potential value. That is why, according to him, we should provide encouragement to those who suffer, not feel sorry for them.
Many of us instinctively shy away from suffering, viewing it as an evil or a failure. Yet, Nietzsche urges us to look at suffering from a different angle, seeing it as a necessity and even an opportunity. He writes,
"The discipline of suffering, of great suffering – do you not know that only this discipline has created all enhancements of humanity so far?"
The intimate relationship between distress and personal growth, between terror and triumph, is central to understanding Nietzsche's perspective. By viewing suffering as exclusively negative, we risk missing the realization that
"...the path to one's own heaven always leads through the voluptuousness of one's own hell."
Nietzsche's message to those who think that life would be better with a complete absence of suffering is a potent reminder that struggle is intrinsic to human flourishing. In his recognizable style, Nietzsche writes that
"happiness and unhappiness are sisters and even twins that either grow up together or remain small together."
Great Danger, Great Strength: The Principle of Necessity
"First principle: one must need to be strong; otherwise, one never becomes strong."
How can you become strong if you are never in a situation that requires you to be strong? This principle, seemingly simple yet profoundly true, is an echo of Nietzsche's belief in embracing challenges.
Great individuals, according to Nietzsche, are found where there is danger. Great danger makes them great. It turns them into beings deserving respect. It's the risk, the challenge, that educates us about "our own spirit," forcing us to be strong.
Modern life may lack the raw danger of past eras, but the principle holds true in the face of any challenge. Life's hurdles force us to dig deep inside ourselves, allowing us to discover strengths and qualities we weren't even aware of. Replace the word "danger" with "challenge," and you will see that Nietzsche’s writing was meant for you as much as it was for those who spent most of their lives on the battlefield.
Conversely, safety and comfort lead to stagnation and weakness. Facing no challenges gives us no opportunity to be tested, no reason to awaken our inner strength.
Simply put, one of the surest ways to become strong is to have no other choice but to be strong.
Nietzsche's philosophical insights offer a powerful roadmap to understanding how inseparable our suffering and strength are. They serve as a beacon for those seeking growth, even in the face of life’s challenges.
Embracing struggle, as Nietzsche teaches, is both unavoidable and valuable. It is a guide to a stronger self, a richer life, and a fuller understanding of our human condition.
Through the voluptuousness of our personal hell, through the trials and tribulations of our journey, we find the path to our heaven, that is, to the highest version of ourselves. By doing that, we not only honor ourselves and our potentials; we honor humanity and life itself.
Thank you for reading.
P.S. "Embracing Struggle and Finding Meaning in It" is the first lesson of my free course, (Re)Build. Nietzsche is not the only one, but he is one of the main thinkers we reflect on in this lesson.
(Re)Build course starts on Monday, July 31st.
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P.S.
The importance of relationships and community is one of the topics we cover in the free (Re)Build course that starts on Monday, July 31st.
I may not be able to give you any tricks for how to seduce people, but in the course we cover some practical and actionable advice for structuring your life and routine in a way that supports developing genuine human connections.
Re)Build is a blueprint for a fulfilling and meaningful life molded by insight from psychology's and philosophy's finest minds, as well as from my real-world experience of using those insights to rebuild my own life. From Nietzsche to Maslow, from the Stoics, to the Zen Buddhists, to your favorite overthinker.
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