Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher, poet and cultural critic.
He was one of the key-figures in the philosophy of existentialism.
Among his famous works are the books ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’, ‘The Birth of Tragedy’,
‘Beyond Good and Evil’ and ‘Human, All Too Human.’
One of Nietzsche’s most famous concepts is what he called ‘the Will to Power.’
Having desires or values are the ‘will,’ and the actions you take as a result of those
are the ‘power.’
Power does not mean money or influence or status, but rather just achieving whatever
goal stems from your will.
According to Nietzsche, every living being has a will to power.
Figuring out your will and how to use it as a way to power is essential to staying true
to yourself.
Nietzsche’s existentialism emphasizes that each individual human being is completely
free and thus completely responsible for their own choices and actions.
As a result he had a strong disdain for group thinking and encouraged the people around
them to always think for themselves.
In this video we will discuss how you can stay true to your unique self from the philosophy
of Friedrich Nietzsche.
Don’t Follow The Herd
Nietzsche says “You have your way.
I have my way.
As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
According to Nietzsche, you can’t stay true to yourself if you don’t really know who
you are in the first place.
So in Nietzsche’s philosophy, success isn’t defined by money or status, but by individuality.
Individuality doesn’t just mean doing whatever you want, but rather, figuring out what you
find important in life.
What are your values, your moral beliefs, and what do you think the purpose of life
is?
It's about identifying and expressing yourself instead of just doing what everyone else is
doing.
Copying what everyone else is doing or “following the herd” happens unconsciously.
If a group takes or recommends a certain action, it feels sensible to follow this advice.
For example, most people would classify success as having a good job and earning a high salary,
which motivates more individuals to focus on those goals.
However, focusing on careers and money doesn’t make everybody happy, and doesn’t fit into
everybody’s life.
Some people would be happiest or make the biggest difference by volunteering, pursuing
their creative passions, or staying in a job that doesn’t pay much but is satisfying.
And that’s not the only example.
A group - be it a family, culture, social circle, society, anything - can have you subconsciously
convinced that a certain route to take is the best route in all walks of life.
Aside from careers, this can concern relationships, marriage, friendships, family, hobbies, school,
and more.
When the herd collectively does something, you get the urge to do it too.
You don’t even think about it; and as long as you don’t actively hate the path that
the others are following, it might seem like the best one.
But why is Nietzsche so strongly against letting yourself be led by a group?
While following a group might lead to some degree of satisfaction, you sacrifice individuality,
growth, and all the changes you could make if you were to choose your own path.
You deny the world and people around you the gift of your own authenticity.
Only you can know what path would lead you to be your happiest, most unique, and most
successful self.
There’s no recipe for universal happiness or success.
There’s not even a universal definition of happiness or success.
So while following the herd doesn’t have to be terrible, it’ll never be great, because
you will never truly be yourself.
Trust Your Opinion
According to Nietzsche “One must shed the bad taste of wanting to agree with many.
‘Good’ is no longer good when one's neighbor mouths it”
One of the most damaging things you could possibly do, Nietzsche says, is to trust the
opinion of the public over your own.
Following the herd mostly happens unconsciously, but letting others determine our opinions
not so much.
We allow it to happen!
Psychological experiments have even shown that, when asked a question, people will give
an answer that’s obviously, undoubtedly wrong if the others around that person have
also given that answer.
We often trust others over ourselves - even complete strangers.
We assume that others are trustworthy, and that somebody must be more knowledgeable than
we are.
And sometimes, this works.
For example, if you see all the cars in front of you turning around, it’s far more likely
there’s an obstruction ahead that they can’t get past, than they all simultaneously left
something at home and had to immediately turn back, so you’re probably better off turning
around, too.
However, one’s urge to follow popular opinion has evolved past simple scenarios like those.
Instead, we find it in many aspects of life: fashion, careers, speech, food… basically
everywhere!
When everybody likes or does something, we often feel the urge to do the same.
We’re all still just a sheep in the herd.
Moreover, people tend to have opinions on almost everything nowadays, because it’s
expected.
For example, whenever there’s a war going on, people expect you to cast judgment on
the two sides of that war, to talk about it openly.
And while the practice of keeping up with the world is, of course, commendable, people
tend to form opinions quickly, without doing much research, just to be able to join conversations.
The same goes for trends, foods, even psychological ideas.
Everybody has an opinion on everything; from relationships to parenting tips, from the
local supermarket to the stock market.
And often those opinions are based on the opinions people have heard around them instead
of careful consideration and research.
This results in a society where people use a lot of words, but say very little.
So how do you gain trust in your own opinions - and the confidence to be open about them?
First of all, you have to accept loneliness - because it will be lonely.
People often avoid or laugh at those with different views; you will come face to face
with confused or judgemental reactions from others.
So you will have to learn to support yourself and embrace your own reasoning and judgement.
Second of all, you can cultivate your judgement by asking yourself questions whenever you
find yourself casting a certain judgement about something.
What is my opinion exactly?
Do I need to have an opinion on this?
How did I form this opinion?
What’s my first instinct, and does it contrast with my opinion?
If you stand still every now and then to consider your opinions, you’ll find that you’ve
much more uniqueness and ideas in you than you may have thought.
Seek Out Knowledge In the words of Nietzsche “Sometimes people
don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed.”
Knowledge is the basis of everything - especially when it comes to our identity and growth.
Self-knowledge can only be had if there’s also knowledge of others, and the world.
And the more knowledge about the latter two we gain, the more we can cultivate our self-knowledge.
Furthermore, one of the keywords when it comes to forming your opinion and not following
others, is ‘research.’
Trusting your own opinion doesn’t mean thinking that you are the smartest in the room.
Instead, it means that if you do have an opinion, you must know why you have it and be able
to defend it.
The only way to achieve this is by seeking out lots of knowledge.
Nietzsche stressed that a search for knowledge was absolutely essential if you want to be
as true and genuine as you can be.
Knowledge is everywhere if you know how to be open to it.
In a museum, in a theater play, when you take a walk through a forest…
all those experiences can teach you something.
Most of us go about our lives with tunnel-vision on our tasks and goals; they’re closed off
to the teachings of the world and thus remain the exact same.
But when you look at the world around you through a curious lens, you’ll find that
there are many things that can inspire you or make you question your life, actions, or
goals.
Whenever something speaks to you, listen to it and consider it.
For example, going to a history museum can teach you much about how to act in the present,
and going to an art museum can teach you about your values and morals in a completely new
way.
You just have to remind yourself to pay attention and allow yourself the time to consider the
things you’d normally walk past.
Beside this, of course, knowledge can also be found purposely - in research, for example,
as we just mentioned.
Doing your research can be hard.
Aside from having to navigate sources and spend time and energy, it can lead you to
find undesirable conclusions.
For example, studies you find when doing research might lead to the opposite conclusion than
you originally thought you’d reach.
Whenever studies or research do not support your opinion, you could become a little frustrated
or even be in denial.
People who favor their opinion or instincts over knowledge proceed to ignore studies,
or look for more biased sources to cite.
This, of course, is a problem.
Nietzsche had a beautiful comparison to those who refuse to change their mind: Just like
how a healthy snake has to shed its skin, a healthy mind has to be able to change its
opinions sometimes.
Someone who is a true individual and true to themselves never stops growing and changing.
So in order to be true to yourself, you should never stop seeking knowledge.
Live Dangerously Nietzsche teaches us that “Healthy, strong
individuals seek self expansion by experimenting and by living dangerously.”
Many people like to live in safety.
This is understandable - and, in many aspects, advisable.
You probably shouldn’t move to a war-torn country or ignore safety instructions on a
flight.
However, our desire for safety goes much further than that; people tend to instinctively see
anything that’s risky as something irrational.
But taking risks is not irrational - in fact, according to Nietzsche, its absolutely necessary
in order to live a successful and fulfilling life.
Everyone has the urge to surround themselves with what they know.
They settle down somewhere, stay in the same job, and surround themselves with the people
they’ve known all their life.
We often like to make lists of pros and cons when it comes to decisions - and weighing
them is seen as a sensible and good way of making decisions.
Again, in some cases, it is.
But comparing pros to cons is also a safety net that keeps us from doing the most we can.
When it comes to absolutely new situations, you don’t even know what the pros or cons
will be.
Some situations are so new or uncertain that you can only find out what it will be like
by actually doing it.
And unknown experiences can be scary, so we often write them off and ignore them.
Nietzsche considered the urge to stay inside our comfort zone to be detrimental to our
individual growth.
The more you experience in life, the more you will learn and know and the more your
perspective on life, the world, and your purpose will change.
This is because exploring all the world has to offer, will show you things that you never
even considered.
Different cultures, ways of thinking, ways of learning, moralities, and so much more.
So to get out of your comfort zone, risks are absolutely essential.
You have to make hard choices and stick to them.
Examples of those choices are to explore the world, move to another country, take a year-long
job on the other side of the world, join a community that you don’t know, quit your
job if it gets too monotonous and try something new.
You have to walk into the unknown with your head held high.
And this is what Nietzsche preached: explore what you don’t know.
Walk into situations that are completely alien to you.
Make decisions based on your curiosity and love of the world rather than pure logic or
risk-analysis.
If you do that, you will grow as a person.
The dangerous paths you choose for yourself will be challenging.
You’ll have to make new kinds of decisions, rely on your own judgment, encounter all kinds
of unfamiliar situations, and thus you will gain so much more knowledge and experience
than you ever would have otherwise.
And, moreover, you will get to know yourself.
New experiences can change you more in a few days than a lifetime in your comfort zone
would, and these changes are absolutely essential to anyone who wants to truly live their own
life by their own rules.
Spend time in solitude To quote Nietzsche “All truly great thoughts
are conceived while walking.”
In our modern world, the majority of us have busy schedules filled with work, family, and
friends.
Even when we’re alone doing household chores or right before bed, we find distractions
from ourselves in the form of music, TV, social media, or any other form of entertainment.
Rarely, nowadays, is anyone ever alone with their thoughts.
According to Nietzsche, it’s extremely important to sometimes embrace solitude in order to
cultivate your thinking.
In fact, Nietzsche believed that truly original and helpful thoughts were mostly created in
peaceful solitude.
When surrounded by people, checklists, and notifications, your head is way too busy to
truly deep-dive into any philosophical subjects.
Moreover, when you’re always in a group you can never truly avoid being influenced
by that group.
And thus, those who never really embrace solitude - which is most of us - never have the time
to deeply consider their life, individuality, morals, goals, and philosophical ideas.
As a result, you might never learn to stray from the herd and learn how to follow your
own opinions.
Nietzsche advises us to take time for one’s self in the most basic ways: go for long walks
in nature, alone.
Sit on your bedroom floor with your eyes closed for a while.
Turn off your phone, go to an art museum, and stay for a long time.
Do it alone.
And encourage yourself to think about everything you see, feel, hear, experience.
When you allow yourself your own company, you’ll find out what an insightful and helpful
conversational partner you can be to yourself.
Find Your Meaning In our final quote from Nietzsche for this
video, he says “Meaning and morality of one’s life comes from within oneself.”
Nietzsche’s most famous quote is, ‘God is dead.’
But this wasn’t meant literally: Nietzsche did not mean that God once existed and has
now died, but rather used God as a metaphor for meaning.
In the very religious past, God defined every aspect of everybody’s lives; the bible and
church dictated how people should dress, behave, act, and live, and thus there was no room
for individuality, risks, or personal goals.
Everything was because of and for God.
Modern life has advanced a lot from old-fashioned religion.
Most people are free to live their lives however they please, whether they are religious or
not.
It is mostly acknowledged that life itself is precious and important, instead of merely
a means to get to the afterlife.
But this has one very intense side-effect: life no longer has an explicit goal.
We are no longer destined to follow a certain religious way blindly.
We have to think for ourselves.
Life is no longer automatically meaningful; we have to give our own lives meaning.
Meaning is a source of inspiration and motivation, and psychological conditions such as depression
are often accompanied or even caused by the conviction that life lacks meaning.
But how do you find your own meaning if we can’t even define ‘meaning’ in general?
As a true existentialist, Nietzsche left meaning completely open because he was absolutely
convinced of its subjective and individual nature.
According to his philosophy, the meaning of life is to give your life meaning - whatever
that meaning is.
The only universal guide for meaning is that it should be there.
On an individual scale, you have to decide what that meaning is.
Meaning is like being handed a pen and being told that you have to draw the illustration
yourself.
Your meaning in life should always be specific and true to you.
So you have to find yourself and stay true to yourself in order to find it.
Ask yourself - what do I truly value, find important, or want to achieve?
- then you will have your meaning.
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