One of the main points of Nietzsche’s philosophy consists in accepting one’s own life as it is, with its good and bad aspects alike. Furthermore, Nietzsche asks us to say yes to our personal stories, while always taking control of our attitudes: we have to accept the things that happen to us and base on that the creation of our selves. This amor fati, as the philosopher puts it, implies the acceptance of suffering not as something that has to be merely tolerated, but as a constructive element of one’s personality, with the potential of being the origin of greatness. Moreover, it could be argued that suffering is, in fact, a necessary condition for greatness.
In order to analyze the latter statement, it is convenient to clarify the concept of “greatness”: throughout this work, we will understand by this any sign of elevation from the mechanical and unreflected routine of life, which can (but does not necessarily have to) be expressed through intellectual or creative production. In this sense, a perfect example of greatness would be, thus, existential doubt.
In spite of its being in some way a more universal concept, it is also important to specify the meaning of “suffering”. Although the first association made to this word might be that of physical pain, we will concentrate in the kind of suffering that arises from unsettling events that lead people to question their place in the world and the wherefore of things. We might call this kind of unpleasant feeling, which is created when we are moved out of our comfort zone, “existential suffering” or “suffering of the soul”.
Now that the ideas of suffering and greatness are better characterized, it is possible to study how the former can give rise to the later. To do this, one could imagine what would a life lacking suffering be like and would immediately notice that, with all wishes satisfied and without any disappointment whatsoever, in such a contemptible life there would be no stimulus for self-reflection, greatness being practically impossible. However, does this mean that people from opulent backgrounds cannot be philosophers while the poor and miserable are more prone to greatness? Not at all: the fact that someone comes from an economically favorable context does not imply he is protected from personal miseries and, on the other hand, an excessive amount of suffering will prevent any considerable intellectual production (one cannot be expected to think if he does not have what to eat).
But, isn’t it possible to achieve greatness based on passion and awe? Undoubtedly yes, but even this admiration for the world would have a component of suffering. Because, what lies behind astonishment other than the moving and unpleasant feeling that we are insignificant and the world widely surpasses us in greatness? Suffering is not only crying because we lost someone loved, but also laughing because the world is incomprehensibly beautiful. Whenever we feel that there is something out of place, whenever we are challenged and thrown into a sea of questions, we suffer. And suffering is a call to change, an act of rebellion that impulses us to think and create.
The way this “suffering of the soul” propels us to doubt and reflect might be incredibly indirect – something that supports the idea that it is in fact the cause of greatness. For instance, the writing of this analysis could be said to have been motivated by a mourning for the lost of suffering; that is: I used to suffer and I thought, now I don’t suffer but I don’t think and this makes me suffer, hence I think.
To be “useful”, suffering must, then, not be constant: there has to be time to stop and assimilate, as well as moments to breathe and be revitalized. Yet, with all these conditions, it is this suffering –this awareness of the tragic sense of life– what makes us humans and is, therefore, a necessary condition for our lives. Amor fati means saying yes to suffering: suffering means being human and, thus, a life without suffering might not be worth living.
Maximiliano Isi
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