One of the most important questions of our
lives, of our history of human creativity, of philosophy is how we can find ourselves,
how we define our values and how ultimately we can find meaning in our lives. In order to answer such questions, we dive
deep into the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, who is one of the greatest thinkers of all
time and a precursor of existentialism. He was famously known for his unconventional
ideas about morality and religion and in spite of his controversial work, he proved to be
a very deep thinker, showing great insights into the true nature of human psychology,
writing guidelines relating to how individuals can shape their future by taking responsibility
for who they are. Nietzsche wrote several books, and his teachings
have shaped the lives of many people; from psychologists to poets, dancers to social
revolutionaries. According to Nietzsche, finding yourself is
one of the most fundamental endeavors of your life and so here are four steps, inspired
by the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, which you can take from, to help you get closer
to finding yourself and becoming who you truly want to become. 01. Donât follow the herd mentality
Nietzsche says âWhat weâve called universal values, what we have called truth, has always
only ever been the personal expressions of those who promoted them.â Nietzsche believed a rigid societal code creates
what he called the âherd mentality.â Like a herd of animals, a herd mentality aims
towards sameness, comfort and the preservation of its population. Similarly, the âmoral codeâ of society
has been fabricated by individuals and then imposed on other people so that society can
have control over human behavior. Although that can protect us from certain
extreme human behaviors, it also limits our individuality and creativity. Not only that; but the strict dogmatic judgment
of human behavior can even make some individuals more rebellious, resulting in extreme antisocial
attitudes and - even worse - actions. If these dictatorial boundaries and rules
become tyrannical and unreasonably harsh, the rebellious response can often be equally
harsh. If the moral code of society is flexible enough,
then the people who have opposing views do not have to be particularly forceful to make
the change that they want to see in the world. In real life, more often than not, itâs
the case that morality is preached in a very strict way. It is not only that the societal, religious
and educational structures present it that way. It is also the attitude of the majority of
people that do not want to stand out from the group in fear of being rejected. Therefore, every person that stands out "too
much", according to the representatives of those groups, is someone that seems terrifying
and dangerous. It is a well-known fact that people are afraid
of the unknown and that is perfectly mirrored in this dynamic. This can be seen in our everyday lives. Whether itâs the middle ages or the modern
day world, this dynamic is always present. Whether itâs Galileo being killed for thinking
outside the box, or at school when your classmates ridiculed you or some other student for being
different and standing out, itâs all cut from the same cloth. The herd consists of people that have amputated
their creativity dreams and goals and are feeling insecure and even threatened by everyone
that exhibits those qualities. Those people are afraid of change, afraid
of admitting to themselves that some of their potential has not been fully realized. Although that realization is scary, an individualistic
and driven person must not let themselves be dragged down by other peopleâs mistakes
in life. Instead, you need to go your own way, leave
the herd behind and then shine a light so bright that it canât be ignored. You can start by questioning and silencing
those negative voices that you internalized when you were young. Whether itâs a parent, a harsh teacher,
a narcissistic partner, it doesnât matter...Whoever told you that you canât do things that you
would want to, probably told you that because they were afraid of your success, because
it would expose everything that is bad about them. So they wanted to limit your individuality
and pull you back into the herd. Also, being strong minded and courageous helps
you withstand the frightening feeling of stepping out of your comfort zone, since itâs an
integral part of becoming who you really are. 2. Embrace the difficulty of self-discovery
In the words of Nietzsche: âNo price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning
yourself.â Our instinctive and intuitive reaction is
to evade all pain and suffering. The technology and the easiness of achieving
everything has made us ungrateful and we have forgotten that suffering is an integral part
of life. However, according to Nietzsche, it's only
when we are willing to face the challenges of life that we are spiritually growing. In 1873, when he was 29 years old, Nietzsche
addressed this fundamental question of how we find ourselves in a beautiful essay titled
âSchopenhauer as Educatorâ. In this essay, he argued that if someone wishes
to be somebody in this life, to maximize their potential, they need to take the difficult
path, which often leads to isolation. Being a loner is not easy, but this is one
of the prices someone must pay for the privilege of owning themselves. To keep yourself from being overwhelmed by
the tribe, you must distance yourself from others, you need to strive to be free and
this might lead to severe difficulties in your life. You should refuse taking an easy path and
you should decide to embark in the quest for gaining your freedom to be yourself, no matter
how frightening it might be. To be free means also to be free from all
physiological and psychological needs, in other words, to not let them drive you, but
for you to drive them instead. For example, whenever you feel an emotional
urge to do something, like complaining to somebody in a very passionate way, you must
try to become first conscious of this impulse and then decide if you should act upon it
or not. Nietzscheâs philosophy on this point is
somehow similar to many modern-day motivational gurus and âthought-leadersâ, but the similarity
is only on the surface. If motivational gurus focus on self-development
mostly in order to achieve worldly success and a fulfilled life on a material and relational
level, Nietzsche goes deeper. For him, the fight is an inner fight, the
struggle is to find himself and this quest is a much more difficult quest, requiring
a very different kind of sacrifice. For example, if a motivational guru teaches
you how to be more confident in order to become popular and attract investors for your business,
Nietzsche teaches you to first analyze the primary root of your desire to be confident
and, usually, youâll find it is just the desire to impress other people such as your
loved ones and your friends, or to prove a point about yourself to society in general. A simple analysis might make you give up this
desire and focus more on what really matters in your life, on much deeper issues, like
self-discovery. And this endeavor might make you a loner. Not accepting to compromise yourself can very
well put you in conflict with many people. It means changing your lifestyle, it means
giving up friendships or other types of relationships, to look deep into your fears, to analyze your
deepest emotions, your darkness and to rise above them. You have to break down the chains of opinion
and fear. Nietzsche encourages us to "challenge our
own demons", but you should not cast them out, as, beyond them, there is a deep meaning
which you should try to understand. You need to get out there in the world, do
things, experience different temptations, but be always present with your entire consciousness,
and, in the end, emerge as an individual with a distinct strength of character and a much
richer inner nature. If you donât go out and experience life
first hand in a fully aware state, you cannot claim you have lived your life. How far you can go depends on how much you
are willing to pay for that. To reach the state of self-ownership and to
avoid going through life in a meaningless way, without direction, you must learn how
to find your inner genius. To get in touch with your inner genius, you
must walk a path no one has walked before, as you are unique and no one can walk that
path on your behalf. Finding yourself is finding your uniqueness,
that unique set of values and things you truly love and which represent you. 3. Say yes to what gives you meaning
To quote Nietzche âHe who has a why, can bear almost any howâ
Nietzscheâs philosophy proposes that we say yes to whatever gives us meaning in our
own lives - the things we find value in personally. In ages past, the meaning of everything was
assured by God. However, according to Nietzsche, in an increasingly
secular and scientific society, one can no longer turn to religion to find meaning. He found this concerning, as the typical person
would be driven to nihilism, meaning general apathy and an unwillingness to find meaning
in life, without help. So he offers us three solutions that we, as
individuals, can try to use to find meaning in our lives. His first suggestion was to replace religion
with philosophy, art, music, literature, theater, and other parts of the humanities to provide
similar benefits. The humanities offer us the ability to contextualize
our sufferings, our efforts, and a chance to see our lives as not so different from
those around us. They can offer insights into how we might
tackle problems we must all face. However it is important that we see them as
a tool for living and not just as an academic study; reading history not just for the facts,
but for what those facts tell us - seeing them as a way to edify yourself, or watching
Tragic plays to see and comprehend the beauty in sad events, not just the entertainment. If humanities do not interest you, then Nietzsche
suggests a second option of becoming an Ăbermensch. The Ăbermensch is a superhuman that creates
his own meaning and values without reference to outside influences. Such an individual can overcome the problem
of the meaning of life by simply inventing his own meaning and taking full responsibility
for it. According to Nietzsche, only a few men came
close to being an Ubermensch, and they were Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonapart, The Buddha
and Goethe. For us humans, we can hope to find some meaning
in looking inward and evaluating what things we really value and what things we only say
we like because society tells us to. Nietzsche sees the psychological evolution
of humanity as an ever-advancing story, and one which we should take a part in. If becoming a superhuman isnât something
you value, then Nietzsche suggests another method to find meaning, which is loving your
life, no matter what it has in it. Amor Fati, the love of fate, is one of Nietzscheâs
most interesting ideas and one which can offer us a great deal of solace when we most need
it. To love your fate is to know that everything
that has happened in your life, the good, the bad, and indeed the ugly, has contributed
to who you are and what you are doing at this very moment. Trying to create yourself will lead to some
failures, but embracing those failures alongside your successes can help re-spark the love
of life and can help you see the meaning of it even in the worst moments. 4. Find your true values
Nietzsche asks us âWhat, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into
your loneliest loneliness and say to you: This life as you now live it and have lived
it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more ⌠Would you not throw yourself
down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus?â Nietzsche believed that we need to create
our own values to lift the âGreatest Weightâ. The âGreatest Weightâ is a metaphorical
situation put forth by Nietzsche which represents the feeling that crushes you into repeating
past mistakes, because of the unevaluated values you adopt from your herd. The goal of this concept is to make you ask
yourself â is what you are doing truly meaningful, or are you just acting out what your herd
thinks is right? If you think that the things you are doing
are worth repeating eternally, that you can be sure you are fully individuated, you will
have enough courage and strength to lift "the greatest weight". If you do not think that the way you have
been living is worth repeating innumerably, chances are, you havenât formed your own
values and you are still a slave to your society and worse yet, to yourself. If you find yourself repeating the same mistakes
you always have and are left feeling crushed, the chances are, you havenât reevaluated
the morals imposed on you by your herd. Thus, you are not a fully developed individual,
yet. Once you reevaluate your moral landscape,
only then "the greatest weight" can be lifted. How many times have you found yourself turning
a blind eye to someone gaslighting you, just because you didnât want to confront the
person? Or how many times have you heard your friend
or yourself saying "m with the identical person with identical problems". If you were your own, with your own set of
morals, you wouldnât find yourself staying in toxic relationships just because itâs
"the right thing to do". You would know that itâs just you just trying
to be a good person by societyâs standards and that's not worth it. Nietzsche suggests that âin every little
thing ask yourself, do you desire this once more and innumerable times over?â If the answer is no, then you need to change
yourself and reevaluate your values, then and only then the weight can be lifted. True good lies beyond standard definitions
of good and evil. Most of us live our lives in our self-imposed
jail. Our jail cells are blandly pre-subscribed
by social beliefs that captivate the wildness and individualism of the human spirit. Many of us submit to the comfort of this cage. Nietzsche recognized that we can escape our
enclosure of forced beliefs and awaken ourselves to what we value personally. To break free and to create your own values
and meaning in life, you have to undergo this transformation, you have to go through this
rebellious phase. You need to have the courage to break the
chains of tradition, of religion, of society and perhaps you even have to distance yourself
from several people in your life. It doesnât need to be a violent and sudden
reaction, it can - and should - be a smart, calm, but definitive one. You can start with making a list of everything
and everyone you think limits your freedom to be yourself. It can be an unfortunate unwritten rule at
your workplace, it could be your spouse who always tries to control and correct your behavior,
or it may be your friends or your parents who criticize you when you behave in a particular
way. Once youâve done this, try to think of possible
strategies of how to change that situation: maybe you could have a discussion with your
spouse in which you can talk about the issue, perhaps you talk to your colleagues or supervisors
in a meeting at work regarding the problems you are experiencing, how it affects you and
how you would like it to change, or you could find new friends who can appreciate you better. When you feel overtaken by âthe greatest
weight,â you donât need to hide your aspirations, but instead you need to breakout from your
self-made herd-based prison and chase after the dreams that give meaning to your life. If you enjoyed this video, please do make
sure to check out the full Philosophies for Life channel and for more videos to help you
find success and happiness using ancient philosophical wisdom, donât forget to subscribe. Thanks so much for watching.
Regarding the first part of the video, which pertains to group think more or less, unless one holds at least one belief or opinion that can earn them the disapproval of their peers, then always be wary of this person. For they are a group thinker and will change with the tides. They might be good today but evil tomorrow.