Nietzsche "Pain, Suffering, and the Death of God"
Jessica Harding
December 3st, 2010
Nietzsche Independent Study
Friedrich Nietzsche: Pain, Suffering and the Death of God
In order to understand Nietzsche, one must actually feel, physically and emotionally, the pain which was the catalyst that inspired him. The phenomenon of pain effects humans different than animals, as humans are both emotionally and physically aware of the pain. Human beings know what it is to tell the great lie of our culture. This lie is the denial of suffering in everyday life. The human capability to shape the pain into something distant, a layer inside our consciousness wrapped around our pain, suffocating the pain. This process lessens the intensity, helping to feel less of its nature. This manipulates the pain into something that fits into the way humans look at life . Nietzsche 's understanding of pain shows it to be not necessarily the same as displeasure, and certainly not the same as pleasure, but believing the idea that "pain is pleasure." When emotional or physical pain strikes too hard, one is neither prepared or programmed for such an impact. The transfiguration that follows is the explanation of how we learn from life. It may be senseless to go into that process now, as it is of a highly specific nature; each process is differently structured for each individual. This is much like the internal crystal of a snowflake. As each individual has a special and unique way of interpreting the pain that they feel. This process is what brought forth Nietzsche’s Zarathustra, the man who metaphorically came climbing out of the caves, expressing Nietzsche’s belief that life is pain. Zarathustra is a way of dealing with pain out of sheer necessity. Zarathustra’s internal fibers were so fine that the pain struck to rip through much of him. He reached an uncommonly deep thread that was so finely tuned that when struck, brought forth the most penetratingly beautiful music. Nietzsche believes that human wisdom is elevated in direct
December 3st, 2010
Nietzsche Independent Study
Friedrich Nietzsche: Pain, Suffering and the Death of God
In order to understand Nietzsche, one must actually feel, physically and emotionally, the pain which was the catalyst that inspired him. The phenomenon of pain effects humans different than animals, as humans are both emotionally and physically aware of the pain. Human beings know what it is to tell the great lie of our culture. This lie is the denial of suffering in everyday life. The human capability to shape the pain into something distant, a layer inside our consciousness wrapped around our pain, suffocating the pain. This process lessens the intensity, helping to feel less of its nature. This manipulates the pain into something that fits into the way humans look at life . Nietzsche 's understanding of pain shows it to be not necessarily the same as displeasure, and certainly not the same as pleasure, but believing the idea that "pain is pleasure." When emotional or physical pain strikes too hard, one is neither prepared or programmed for such an impact. The transfiguration that follows is the explanation of how we learn from life. It may be senseless to go into that process now, as it is of a highly specific nature; each process is differently structured for each individual. This is much like the internal crystal of a snowflake. As each individual has a special and unique way of interpreting the pain that they feel. This process is what brought forth Nietzsche’s Zarathustra, the man who metaphorically came climbing out of the caves, expressing Nietzsche’s belief that life is pain. Zarathustra is a way of dealing with pain out of sheer necessity. Zarathustra’s internal fibers were so fine that the pain struck to rip through much of him. He reached an uncommonly deep thread that was so finely tuned that when struck, brought forth the most penetratingly beautiful music. Nietzsche believes that human wisdom is elevated in direct
Bibliography: Friedrich Nietzsche, translated by Helen Zimmern, Beyond Good and Evil (New York: Dover Publications,Inc. 1997), 93-94 Friedrich Nietzsche, translated by Helen Zimmern, Beyond Good and Evil (New York: Dover Publications,Inc Friedrich Nietzsche, translated by Thomas Common, The Gay Science (New York: Dover Publications,Inc.2006), 90-91 Friedrich Nietzsche, translated by Thomas Common, The Gay Science (New York: Dover Publications,Inc.2006), 91 Friedrich Nietzsche, translated by Thomas Common, Thus Spake Zarathustra (New York: Prometheus Books, 1993), 35 Friedrich Nietzsche, translated by Thomas Common, The Gay Science (New York: Dover Publications,Inc.2006), x