FRIEDRICH W. NIETZSCHE

In his Birthday.

German philosopher.

October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900.

Controversial due to his iconoclastic ideas. He was a youth’s idol, whom I read frantically before college, looking for answers and solutions to serious questions.

The adolescence, for a large number of people is rebel, never satisfied with the establishment. Back then I agreed with his postulates, although it was not a deep processing of consciousness, rather emotional feelings, threatened by society values.

I did not accept indeed what he declared: “We (the humans) killed God”. The young Nietzsche as the picture shows in 1861 -with his hand on the heart- was apparently affiliated early to Freemasonry, though not noticed publicly. However later on stated “God does not exist”, this was enough reason to be excluded from the Order, because the first requirement is to believe in a Supreme Being: “The Great Architect of the Universe”. What did happen to Friedrich is not known, but surely was emotionally devastated.

This essay will try to find out why Nietzsche became profoundly affected, leading to his main philosophic development (ideas).

Born in Röcken, Lützen, he was the son of the Lutheran pastor Carl in a small village, a family ruled by strict discipline and religiosity. At the age of five his father died, and the younger brother Ludwig, one year later. Shocking events since the beginning, the mother Franziska took Friedrich and daughter Elisabeth to a better place, moving nearby the town of Naumburg, and enrolling them in a prestigious school. His teenager’s years were exclusively devoted to study, soon was fluent in Greek & Latin, ancient languages which he knew on account the fascination for those cultures. At twenty four, before getting any post-graduation, because his exceptional talent, with elite’s recommendations, was appointed to teach at the University of Basel, as professor of Classic Philology.

His health was not good, too stressed and chronically ill (migraines, nausea and loss of sight) he had to resign, leaving education’s job forever, with a pension in his thirties lead a life of wanderer, looking for healthy lands like the Alps, and between Switzerland – Italy. Strongly influenced by Schopenhauer and science’s rationality, during this period (turning definitely to philosophy) wrote the most important books, relevant is -keep in mind- he almost didn’t sell, and paid himself the publications:

“Thus Spoke Zarathustra”.
“The Genealogy of Moral”.
“Beyond Good and Evil”.
“Human, All Too Human”.
- “Origin of the Tragedy”, 1868 met Richard Wagner in Leipzig, dedicating this first book to the composer, to whom adored, becoming his mentor and friend, and spending great time with the musician & wife Cosima’s inner circle. However Wagner changed, towards radical Nationalism and dogmas, which Nietzsche disapproved, and also disagreements on Aesthetic, those were the motives that broke the relationship, and his heart.

Lou Andreas Salomé was his next enormous interest, love and terrible disappointment, she was extraordinary as well, a psychiatrist and writer. Lou did not want to marry Friedrich, depressed affirmed that women have not to be educated, only in the basics. He came to hate female figures, to the point of misogyny.

Friedrich intended seriously twice go to war, and was rejected because his fragile health, worsened by exhaustive work: creative thinking and intense writing.

Extremely upset with the people, angry wrote about a superior man facing everything, strongest one psychologically, the “Übermensch”. Another irony of his life, Friedrich ended fatally, without defenses in the last eleven years , he couldn’t be an “Overman” or superman. Biographers often say the cause of Nietzsche’s cognitive deterioration and death was syphilis, it is not sure, others have pointed out pneumonia. His mother and later the sister, took care of him till the end, dying in Weimar.

Nietzsche an authentic philosopher, acquired a poetic style (his love for poetry!), a personal daring way of questioning and profound ideas. Often misunderstood , even postmortem, the Nazis distorted his writings, thanks to sister Elisabeth -Nationalist and loyal to the Third Reich- she modified the original texts. Albeit nowadays we can say that Nietzsche’s books have been restored fully.

Since his late twenties, Friedrich shown a growing resentment for western culture (which is founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs), defying the system’s main values, and challenging any posture of positivism, became a fervent nihilist, though overcoming it later on. He wrote “there is not absolute truth”, “perspectivism” is the reality.

Also denouncing (and this is important for our contemporary times) “people love to serve, to be slave, they fear freedom”. Then we may deduct: “The Will Of Power” never will be successful for the average population.

He believed in the “Eternal Return”, living the same life, again and again, which is not other thing than a form of reincarnation. Nietzsche was in fact a believer, not following dogmas, of course, a profound thinker writing thoughts provoking, fuelled by his inner fire, and looking for a balance between the Apollonian and Dionysian forces.

Friedrich lost completely his brain at the end, there is a lack of protection support, ever in person’s mind. The absence of God, which he proclaimed all his mature life, was very real for him, the unbearable void, and cannot face it any longer.

Insisting on human superiority versus Divinity, or the negation of something much bigger than us -our Creator-, always has led to a tragic end. How can we bite or pursue to kill the One who made us, without negative consequences?.

I want to remind you the key, meaning of our lives: human beings never will see and feel true changes -individual and social-, better transformations, until comprehend and accept that God made them, deserving respect.

Nietzsche’s last lucid writings were “Ecce Homo” in a humble narrative.

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