“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering”
He believes that humans should embrace their suffering and endeavor to take on as much responsibility as possible (Wriseley, 2009). Nietzsche believes that Christianity is a sickness that leads people to insanity. According to Nietzsche, self-loathing is at the heart of Christianity. Nietzsche sees self-loathing as a sign of weakness. As a solution for this, Nietzsche proposes a revaluation of values. Nietzsche claims that Christian morality is highly restrictive, belittles human instinct and highlights weakness. Christianity pushes the belief that a happy afterlife is more important than any possible life humans can live. He also argues Christian morality (like all types of morality) is merely a tool used to mask normal human behavior and instincts and make humans seem more respectable and honorable than they really are. Nietzsche wants humans to take a more realistic attitude towards life. He claims that such realism and honesty would result in an ultimate “revaluation of all values” (Arnon, 2013). He believes that human beings would be better off without Christianity. He believes that human values should not be fixed and detached like they are in Christianity but should express an individual’s attitude towards life.
He believes that humans should embrace their suffering and endeavor to take on as much responsibility as possible (Wriseley, 2009). Nietzsche believes that Christianity is a sickness that leads people to insanity. According to Nietzsche, self-loathing is at the heart of Christianity. Nietzsche sees self-loathing as a sign of weakness. As a solution for this, Nietzsche proposes a revaluation of values. Nietzsche claims that Christian morality is highly restrictive, belittles human instinct and highlights weakness. Christianity pushes the belief that a happy afterlife is more important than any possible life humans can live. He also argues Christian morality (like all types of morality) is merely a tool used to mask normal human behavior and instincts and make humans seem more respectable and honorable than they really are. Nietzsche wants humans to take a more realistic attitude towards life. He claims that such realism and honesty would result in an ultimate “revaluation of all values” (Arnon, 2013). He believes that human beings would be better off without Christianity. He believes that human values should not be fixed and detached like they are in Christianity but should express an individual’s attitude towards life.
Nietzsche’s attitude that people should embrace and take on responsibility for their suffering can be coupled with what he calls the ‘ascetic ideal’. The ascetic ideal can be used to provide meaning for suffering and life itself. Nietzsche explores how unbearable it is to have suffering without meaning. He talks about how humans will search for meaning just as they search for truth and that the will for truth is at the core of the ‘ascetic ideal’. This is because it is only by rejecting the world of the senses that one can find the ‘truth’, or meaning for their suffering (Mikhailov, 2006). Nietzsche talks about the ascetic priest.
The ascetic priest recognises the glitches and sickness in society and in doing this places positive value on suffering, despair and self-loathing (Arnon, 2013). For all of those searching for meaning for their suffering, the ascetic priest could help them. He stemmed their suffering and turned their resentment and dissatisfaction back against them turning it instead into feelings of guilt (Sparknotes, 2014). In doing this he did not rid them of their suffering but was able to control them. Nietzsche sees this as the primary point of Christianity, to control those who are searching for meaning. He believes that by establishing the problems and raising issues a solution is posed. This relates to his idea of a revaluation of values. Overall Nietzsche explores the importance of embracing ones suffering and finding the meaning behind it. It is evident that his philosophical viewpoint differs from that of Soren Kierkegaard and opposes with the beliefs of Christianity.