"Here the ways of men divide: if you wish to strive for peace of soul and happiness, then believe; if you wish to be a disciple of truth, then inquire."
It is now almost an year since I've read R J Hollingdale's book on Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. When I was reading it I didn't know back then that Nietzsche's philosophy would come handy exactly after an year. What I'm saying is regarding Nietzsche (the man and his philosophy) and his relevance to a pandemic struck period.
R J Hollingdale clearly mentions in his book that Nietzsche was essentially a solitary man. On a letter of 11th Nov 1887, Nietzche wrote, "I now has 43 years behind me, and I am just as much alone as I was as a child". Nietzsche's life is marked by great pain and perseverance. Plagued by different diseases of his time, Nietzsche took his inspiration for his philosophy from his physical pain. Loneliness also made him bitter. A bleak life in all sense, still what Nietzsche wrote is exactly the opposite. Great shades of optimism and energy came in his philosophy even when the thinker himself was going through a hell lot in his life. This is exactly what makes Nietzsche the relevant figure for the pandemic times.
As part of our life in the pandemic times, we are expected to maintain social distance. For Nietzsche, this was like a prayer. He was all about pushing the limits of his individual existence. He considered solitude as a way for developing both his intellectual and emotional side. Personally, reading Nietzsche in these troubled times made a lot of difference to me. Let me explain that!
Fighting the wilderness all by himself, Nietzsche was also fighting chaos. He was in search for the inner strength of all human beings. But one has to be careful here. Nietzsche was also an existentialist. He once wrote to his doctor, "My existence is a fearful burden". This side of Nietzsche is not what I'm intending to focus here. All that matters to us is Nietzsche's other side.
The first idea of Nietzsche that would be worth discussing is the 'Will to Power'. I have to be real careful here because of the concept's association with the Nazi propaganda and its present connotations. There are exceptions in popular culture and art where Nietzsche is used with great reverence. One can find Nietzschean philosophy in Batman comics(also the Nolan Trilogy) from the time of the inception of the character itself. Nietzsche never wrote for political sides. He was more concerned with the human condition. As I see it, it is no crime discussing 'Will to Power'. Even today the Right (Jordan Peterson) takes up Nietzscheanism which causes the people in the left to condemn Nietzsche. Martin Heidegger had direct connections with the Nazis but not Nietzsche. Even the timelines are different. Anyway the left has traditionally maintained safe distance from Nietzsche and this was something foolish.
For Nietzsche, the desire for 'Will to Power' was key. He urged the people to have the will to face whatever life threw at them. He believed in the immense potential of the will. For the meaningful existence, one should have the will to take power. Taking control thus was the prime idea behind 'Will to Power'. This was exploited by the Nazi propaganda machines. Nietzsche says, "Love too, the so - called unegoistic passion, derives from the desire to exercise the greatest degree of power over the loved one." Thus having a will that could transcend emotions becomes a relevant factor here. Again, One can't read the concept without associating it with our present times.
His concept of 'Ubermensch' is also something significant. These days, it is now read along with Post humanism, Psychoanalysis etc. There are multiple interpretations to the concept. This basically carries the same cosmic equation of dialectics as theorized by Marx and Hegel. Nietzsche says in this regard that, "I teach you 'the Superman'. Man is something that should be overcome. What have you done to overcome him?" To Nietzsche this overcoming of the self was the most difficult of all tasks. Pretty much what we need to do now... overcome!
Amor Fati (Love Fate) is another idea which forms the base of his philosophy. Our purpose in life should not be to fight the turn of events which are quite against us but should be to fight whatever's the result of the turn of events. This in turn helps us, as difficulties often open our eyes to knowledge and wisdom. Whatever the future holds for us, a person shouldn't be concerned. Our job is to fight it and come out more stronger. The pandemic also made us only wiser and surviving the virus will forever be considered as a great stride in our human history!
Fighting the Pandemic from individual positions take much greater effort and it takes a toll on every one of us. But if Nietzsche was here, he would be obviously thinking of the progress an individual makes as part of his struggle. And there is no doubt that the pandemic has changed something or the other in us. What's changed can only be understood by taking ourselves through the Nietzschean Philosophy. To sum it up, Nietzsche is a philosopher not only for our pandemic times but for all times!
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