The art of life: lessons from Nietzsche
All things rise and fall
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Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche: He writes on what humans are, what they can become, and how to live. "Become who you are!" he says.
Nietzsche’s blueprint for life
Friedrich Nietzsche is famous for his provocative and challenging ideas. His dense, multi-layered writings can seem impenetrable at first. But once you get past the strange sentence structure and complex metaphors, Nietzsche’s work reveals insightful observations about the human condition.
Many of his observations are completely counter-intuitive, making them all the more striking and memorable. He often seems like an angry misanthrope who despises humanity almost as much as he loves it.
Nietzsche, a philosopher, poet, composer, and writer, didn’t just offer a new way of thinking about the world but urged his readers to embrace the whole experience of human existence without fear of risk, suffering, despair and meaninglessness.
“The discipline of suffering, of great suffering — do you not know that only this discipline has created all enhancements of man so far?” he said.
Often misunderstood as an apostle of nihilism and despair, his philosophy challenged the complacent optimism of 19th-century Europe and proposed instead that we should embrace our tragic destiny with courage and audacity.
Avoidance is the enemy
Nietzsche thought the secret to harvesting the most significant meaning from life is to embrace the full risks in life.
“The secret for harvesting from existence the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment is: to live dangerously!” he said.
Nietzsche suggests that the power to live dangerously is a sign of strength. It guarantees growth, resilience and grit. Dangerous living means stepping outside your comfort zone to embrace the uncomfortable.
People who live fully take risks, love unapologetically, and live fearlessly.They are free spirits who refuse to follow the crowd or the norms of society. They walk with their heads held high and eyes wide open.
They understand that life is short and that we should embrace every moment, exploring every experience and opportunity, no matter how frightening they may seem.
Comfort indicates that you have given up on the full human experience and decided to settle for what others expect of you instead of challenging yourself to achieve your highest potential.
If you want to live fully, start exploring new frontiers — both inside yourself and outside in the world around you. Nietzsche thought a fulfilling and meaningful life requires full acceptance of life’s many challenges instead of avoiding them.
“What if pleasure and displeasure were so tied together that whoever wanted to have as much as possible of one must also have as much as possible of the other — that whoever wanted to learn to “jubilate up to the heavens” would also have to be prepared for “depression unto death”?” he argued.
Nietzsche observed that we are hollow without authentic living or the entire human experience. If you don’t know who you are or what you stand for, you won’t be able to recognise opportunities that arise because of who you are or what you stand for. This is why it is important to understand how Nietzsche’s ideas can impact your life.
Nietzsche has left us plenty of food for thought on what it means to live fully. It is not the length of life that should concern us but its width, scope, and depth.
Say yes to all of life as it is, not as you wish it to be
Nietzsche observed that if you want to live fully instead of just surviving, you should embrace the many areas of human existence: meaning, reason, despair, suffering, hopelessness, authenticity and risk.
To recognise risk as a condition of life. “The devotion of the greatest is to encounter risk and danger, and play dice for death,” he said.
You shouldn’t let fear or doubt stop you from reaching your potential or acting on your instincts. Rather than thinking about what might happen if you fail or succeed, you should focus on doing what feels right in the moment.
Perhaps one of his most famous quotes is proof that there is more to life than mere comfort. “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” In this regard, there’s rarely a more challenging time for an individual than when one is forced to confront mortality.
When the world is dark, and everyone else is running for light, you will find people who go left instead of right. People who explore when others choose safety. People who challenge themselves when others take the easy way out. People who constantly test their limits and never settle for mediocrity.
Their scope is limited only by the breadth of their imagination — and the danger never surpasses their threshold. They play dice for death because that is where the greatest conquest lies.
Life is an adventure. Most only want to see the glamorous side.
The reality is not linear. It’s a constant balancing act between loyalty to your social connections, your team, and yourself. Your best version requires total surrender to the human experience.
“You have the choice: either as little displeasure as possible, painlessness in brief … or as much displeasure as possible as the price for the growth of an abundance of subtle pleasures and joys that have rarely been relished yet? If you decide for the former and desire to diminish and lower the level of human pain, you also have to diminish and lower the level of their capacity for joy,” argues Friedrich Nietzsche.
There are no universal rules and principles in life. “There are no facts, only interpretations,” says Nietzsche.
You must take complete control of the direction of your life to find purpose, meaning and fulfilment. Find out everything that brings out the best in you and pursue them without holding back.
Don't let discomfort take away the pleasure of meaningful risk.
“How little you know of human happiness, you comfortable and benevolent people, for happiness and unhappiness are sisters and evil twins that either grow up together or, as in your case, remain small together,” says Nietzsche.
When you spend your entire life playing it safe, you miss essential and meaningful experiences and the most significant life lessons.
Food for thought
Jobs change, relationships evolve, and people move on. You, me, everything — we’re all part of life’s relentless rise and fall. We build careers, watch our families grow, invest in skills and experiences, and aim to make something beautiful with our lives. It’s exhilarating — that feeling of getting to the top, the world expanding before you. But, like a pendulum, the higher it swings, the steeper the inevitable fall.
The cycle is not punishment.
It’s flow. Tides rush in, then retreat, leaving treasures behind. “The flow of life is great. It directs you at all times. It flows through you and with you,” writes Laurie E. Smith in Spirit In Disguise.
We rise, gather experiences, learn, and grow.
A concept worth understanding
Ironic Process Theory
Going out of your way to suppress thoughts makes those thoughts more prominent in your mind. Imagine trying to push a beach ball underwater - it keeps popping up, right? Our minds can do something similar with thoughts and emotions, especially when we're stressed, anxious, or trying too hard.
When you tell yourself not to think about something, your brain actually goes into hyper-monitoring mode. It's constantly checking for any sign of the forbidden thought, like a security guard on high alert.
This monitoring creates a mental tug-of-war. You're pushing the thought away, but your brain keeps pulling it back. This struggle actually energizes the thought and makes it more salient in your mind.
Finally, the thought wins the fight and pops into your head, often with increased intensity and emotion. This is the "ironic rebound," the moment where your suppression efforts backfire spectacularly.
The classic example is the "white bear problem". Try not to think about a white bear for a minute. What happens? Chances are, the image of a fluffy arctic giant floods your mind. This demonstrates how Ironic Process Theory works in real-time.
So, what can you do about this ironic twist? Instead of actively suppressing thoughts, consider these alternatives:
Acceptance: Acknowledge the unwanted thought without judgment. Let it be there without engaging with it.
Distraction: Engage in an absorbing activity. Something that occupy your mind and take your attention away from the intrusive thought.
Mindful: Practice being more present to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions without trying to control them.
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A question worth asking
When we think about changing a habit, starting a new project, or learning a new skill, we often put ourselves under too much pressure. We feel like we must have all the solutions or get a lot more done as quickly as possible.
By asking, ‘Does this add more value than it takes?’, we learn to focus on the essential tasks, choose the right projects, or focus on the most important tasks. while still striving for a positive impact.
Thanks for reading!
Until next week,
Thomas
Medium | All Courses | The Write Life | Philosophy For Modern Life
Postanly Weekly is now a reader-supported publication. To support my work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for $7 per month or $40 for an entire year. With a modest yearly contribution you’re not only helping keep Postanly Weekly going, you also get free access to Thinking Toolbox (mental models for life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox (practical concepts for smarter decisions).