Nietzsche; from pain to success

Nietzsche talked about the elements that human beings naturally needed for a fulfilled life. He also talked about how to achieve this elements and he mentioned that it was impossible to attain them without feeling very miserable some of the time. "What is pleasure and displeasure were so tied together that whoever wanted to have as much as possible of the must also have as possible of the other.. You have the choice; either as little displeasure as possible, painless in brief... Or as much displeasure as possible as the price for the growth of am 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 of joy." 

Nietzsche explained that when you are in your journey to be happy and successful you must have had experienced jealousy. Stubbornness, mistrust, hardness,a variance, violence, among others. "Because no one is able to produce a great work of art without experience, nor achieve a worldly position immediately, nor be a great lover at the first attempt; and in the interval between initial failure and subsequent success, in the gap between who we wish one day to be and who we are at present, must come pain, anxiety, envy and humiliation...."

In another words, according to Nietzsche you have to fail a couple times in order to be successful, and all that pain and suffering is going to be worth it when you are at your highest point." 

Martin Heidegger

Martin Heidegger’s philosophy really drew me in. The video we watched in class on Martin Heidegger really appealed to me because of the certain phrases they used. “Heidegger diagnosed humans suffering from maladies of the soul.” This sentence is beautiful, and it resonated deep within me for many reasons. As a society, we are often quick to diagnose physical problems; a broken leg needs a cast, a sore throat needs a cough drop. However, we rarely identify mental or spiritual problems in our lives. Additionally, there is a stigma against having mental and spiritual problems. If someone is diagnosed with depression, a large amount of people would simply say, “Get over it, do something happy.” If someone is obsessed with luxury and the pursuit of money, most people don’t see a problem with that. But “we’ve forgotten that we’re alive.” We become so focused on material things that we often forget to marvel at the fact that we’re alive. The mystery of life and our interconnectedness is incredibly fascinating, though at times frightening to think of. Heidegger says that humans treat others as means and not ends, to further our own success. He believes that we are all fundamentally united because we’re all alive right now. This unity of being is such an attractive concept to me because in today’s society we are encouraged to think for yourself and to further your career and to do what’s best for you. We often forget to stop and think about the other seven billion people living on this planet during this very moment. “Overcoming egoism” is one of Heidegger’s main isms. He believed that the solution to our problems lay in spending more time at graveyards. I agree, we have to realize that in the great scheme of things, our lives are minuscule flecks in the timeline of the universe. 

Calm

I think being calm is important for one's health. Stress can take a negative toll on someone physically and mentally. If we are never calm we can never set our minds free of all of the clutter of daily life. We need to know how to remove all the little things from our minds and let our minds flow naturally. I think it is especially hard today to get rid of all distractions. Many people may stop feeling calm and    never know how to achieve that feeling again. I think that's why many adults use drugs and alcohol to trick themselves into being calm because they can't achieve it on their own. I think the best ways to be calm is to recognize that everything is meaningless from a far enough distance. However, only to put things in perspective to stop feeling like issues are as big as they feel. I believe that meditation is one of the most healthy things you can do for you mind. We put so much effort into taking care of our bodies, but not nearly as much as we put into the health of our minds. Meditation in any form is a fantastic way to be completely calm. Maybe most people think of meditation as trying sitting crisscross applesauce and trying to be completely still, just waiting for a revelation; but it can really be anything that brings you to that mental state. And if everyone knew the true benefits of it, it would be a more common activity of society. I think if people realized how much being calm and having a healthy mind can benefit us, we could have a much healthier and possibly more peaceful world.

What to say and not to say

While honesty is one of the best characteristics for men, sometimes it is also the one hurts people the most. Sometimes being straight honest is not that good in friendship or relationship. Honesty could not be the reason of hurting others’ feelings. So, I mean when to keep silence is also a skill of talking. I am not saying that being straightforward is not a good thing. But think, if you know the consequence of your words may bring, why don’t you say something after you really think about it. I do know some great person that not very popular in her community. It is not because that they are not nice or not kind. As their friends, I even feel uncomfortable sometimes when we talk to them. 

Learn about how to talk can really help people. It’s not flattering or being obsequious. It’s about how to talk appropriately and let people feel comfortable when hear you talking. It’s the art of talking.

Another thing I want to talk about is the art of not talking. For the most time, we really don’t need to say everything in our mind out. Just like those “I have a crush on your sister” in the video. Being quiet sometimes is a respectful and caring behavior. For instance, if someone is going through a really tough time, maybe go ahead and console him or her by saying something is not the best choice. It could be very awkward. Probably at this time, cheer him/her up by your behavior or your warm caring is the best support for them.

If you love yourself you'll forgive them

     Holding a grudge or hating someone is a burden and a waste of energy. My mom always says that holding a grudge against someone is like drinking poison and expecting the person you hate to die. It’s ironic that she says that actually because my mom is the queen of holding grudges. I think witnessing the pain my mom puts herself through by not forgiving is why feel I must always forgive people. Everyday she puts so energy into making this person feel bad and known that she has a problem with them. I believe that all the energy she uses to try to intimidate this person is what leads to her stress related medical issues. All these vibes and you choose the negative ones? Thats why I believe that forgiveness is the smartest quality to have if you love yourself. 

     Forgiveness does not mean excusing or forgetting what happened. To forgive, you except that they've made a mistake and that you still love them as a friend, colleague, family member, or whatever the case may be. To forget what they have done to you is foolish and destructive. We need to learn from peoples mistakes the same way people need to learn from their mistakes. If someone steals money from and you forgive them that doesn't mean you can now trust them again. If that person were to come over your house it would be idiotic for you to leave money on the table just because you’ve forgiven them. It also shows to that person that they can get away with their misdeed because nothing has changed. When someone does an injustice toward you it is opportunity for you to be enlightened because this person has shown what they are capable of doing. You must be able to forgive this person so that you are not burdened with hatred but at the same be meticulous so that it doesn't happen again. 

Things you can't tell the people you love

Things you cant tell the people you love

In the video we all watched as a class, a couple had many things they thought but did not share with each other. The partners would think, “I just want to be alone”, “Do we have to spend every second together?”, “I want to sleep with your sister” or “You look more and more like your mother everyday”. Thoughts that if this partner were to express could devastate their relationship. Some may think what a jerk, how could they think such things? When in reality most everyone has these awful thoughts and do not share these thoughts because of their fear of hurting their partner. 

Is it wrong for your partner to hide these thoughts from you? Do you wish you knew what your partner was thinking? I believe that in relationships there is always something you wish you could change about your partner or a problem you want to fix. But some of these problems are unfixable or are who that person is and it would be wrong to ask them to change who they are for you. No relationship is perfect but in order to improve your relationships, you must understand that their are two people in that relationship and they both must work just as hard as the other to make the relationship stronger. People sometimes get caught up in their own idea of what a good relationship is. This idea may be altered from past relationships, social media or what someone else is telling them is right. For a relationship to thrive and grow, each person must be committed to the other person and value their happiness. 

Keep Calm

What really strikes me most is when the narrator says, "We exist too much in the mind of others" in the video "Calm" form SchoolIsLife. This is something so true in our world today. It is so common, even with ourselves that we sometimes don't realize it. We try so hard to impress others with who we are that we begin not showing our true selves anymore. Sometimes the adrenaline kicks up and we get so worked up to be something just to please others. But do we ever stop to think about ourselves? For example, our minds are so wrapped over the thought of being liked by others just to fit in whether its school, work, family, etc. We almost become someone totally different, someone we're not. You finally realize, who am I? Is this who people think I am? Sometimes we should stop to think about who we really are and how much that'd bring ourselves contentment. Maybe that'd bring us "calm" into our lives.