What are your thoughts on Nietzsche’s ideas about exuberance?
Nietzsche has a valid point, while there are moral lines that one should never cross, such as murder and rape. This is because if there were not some kind of line drawn humankind would debase themselves like animals, seeking only their own pleasure and desire to the detriment of others. Even though the idea of a soul existed long before Christianity, there was no concept of a heaven. The closest that any pre-Christian religion came to was the Elysian Field in the Greek and Roman religions. The Elysian Fields were a place that very few people went to as it was only for the bravest and the best. Most of the Greek and Roman heroes of Mythology were not able to enter into the Elysian Fields. Hell did not exist in many Pre-Christian religions and the closest thing to it was Tartarus, which was a section of the underworld, that housed the most immoral people, the ones that had dishonored the gods, such as Tantalus and Atreus both who had killed children and fed them to someone else. Most people went to the Underworld, where they spent eternity in a type of fugue state without any desires or memory of the past.
The advent of Christianity gave people more consequences in regards to what would happen after death but like Nietzsche contends it also made humankind weak. People in general are afraid to act. Many spend their lives waiting for something to happen, and only reacting to events. Rather than making things happen, of course there are exceptions to this. Even when a person achieves their goal there is the expectation that their exuberance will exist with a sense of decorum, which includes a sense of guilt over achieving one’s goals or victory. An example of this is congratulating the losing team on being admirable opponents. This is because while many people are taught that winning is everything, they are also taught that being arrogant and prideful is also wrong.
I agree with Nietzsche that a person should “love their fate”. It seems that he is saying to live one’s life in the moment without guilt or fear for the actions one has or will take. This is because one’s present or future is shaped by their own actions in some manner whether it be directly or indirectly. So instead of feeling guilty or forlorn over events one should accept what it is in that moment and take the needed actions to change their situation in the future, if that is what they wish.
Power?
Nietzsche felt that people should concentrate on the here and now rather than on what could happen when one was dead. The essay speaks of the Dionysian, which is basically the idea of living a life full of pleasure seeking and indulgence. This results in horror from a society that is riddled with guilt, as well as horror of the mundane from the Dionysian. (Nietzsche). Nietzsche contends that people spend their lives at a crossroads of sorts between the guilt that has been imposed on them and their own desires. However, neither should be destroyed as they are both vital aspects of who a person is “This world is the will to power--and nothing besides! And you yourselves are also this will to power--and nothing besides!" (Nietzsche)
I agree with the idea that no action, even the ones that appear to be positive or self-less are taken without the without the expectation of return. This is because even actions that are performed anonymously or given without any obvious expectation of return are done in order to obtain spiritual, physical, emotional or moral satisfaction for the person performing them. I do not agree with the idea that all women want everything. Even though I can see where this can be assumed because there are countless women who seek one type of partner only to try to change them to suit their expectations and ultimately the “man’s destiny” (Nietzsche). However, there are some women out there who do not seek to fulfil their fantasies by changing their partners. Rather they allow them to remain who they were and to have their own destiny, while at the same time the woman is focusing on herself.
This is seen in “The Hitchhiking Game” where two lovers play the hitchhiking game. The girl pretends to be the hitchhiker and in doing to forgoes her normally shy persona. The shift in power dynamics upsets and angers her more worldly boyfriend as he has always taken the lead and acted as the more dominant force in their relationship. So while the game itself can be considered a Nietzsche concept, the result of the game is that the guy feels as though the girl that he had known never existed and he also feels as though his power has been diminished, while the girl now has a new sense of power that she had never experienced before and wants to strengthen her sense of self.
The theatrical self?
It seems as though Nietzsche is essentially saying that a person will become whoever they need to be in order to get what they want. This means that no one ever truly reveals who they are to the world and that this can result in the person no longer even recognizing themselves.
What does Nietzsche mean by Live dangerously?
The idea of living dangerously had nothing to do with risky behavior but was internally focused. It was the idea that one should live a life contrary to the will of society if that was what made them happy. He felt that by a person living according to their own rules would basically bring about a kind of purification of the mind and soul. This is because they would no longer be tied down by things outside of a person’s own thoughts and desires. This is basically the idea of living for oneself and disregarding the herd mentality. Which tends to rule society because people are social creatures who are hardwired to seek attention and affirmation from others.
Do you consider his exhortation good advice?
I personally believe that no one knows what is going to happen when we die. Yes, one can have faith, but faith is not fact and while a person may hope that there is something beyond this life. Whether it be Heaven, Hell, the Underworld, reincarnation or nothing at all. Nonetheless, because we do not know for sure we should not tie ourselves down to the will and expectations of society. However, I also believe in the idea of “First do no harm”. This is because I do not think that it is necessary for a person to achieve their own happiness by destroying someone else’s.
Do you experience any impulse to follow it?
I have always lived a life based on my desires at the moment. I do what I want as long as I am not harming anyone else. If something happens because of the actions that I undertook. Then I deal with it. To me this is the only way to live because no one is going to die for me, so why should I live according the will and desire of anyone except myself.
What would Nietzsche think of the life you’re living just now?
I am not sure what he would think of the life that I am living. I think that he would see it as me living according to my own will and desires. Nevertheless, he may look at my actions as being people pleasing.
What is your vision of the full life?
This would be having a job that I actually enjoy, being able to travel and to do whatever I want without harming anyone.
Works Cited
Nietzsche. docx
The Hitchhiking Game by Milan Kundera. docx
