Debating about the relation of selfishness and the Nietzsche ideal called “eternal return”.
Hi reader!
Good morning, afternoon or night!
Hope you’re doing well!
And if you’ve already read my other text, welcome back!
This time I’m here to talk about an intelligent and a little bit pessimistic guy, our dear friend Nietzsche!
My main idea for this text is to discuss two concepts, one used by him and the other one created by him. The first one is the problem of selfishness, and the concept he develops is the “eternal return” and through this we will understand together the relationship between those topics and how we can accept it in our lives.
The idea of the “eternal return”, developed by Friedrich Nietzsche, began in 1881 during a calm stroll in a beautiful Swiss countryside, exactly, that’s the context. And although it may initially seem like a pessimistic idea, there is a very beautiful perspective behind it and if half of the population were able to live well with this idea, we would have a world with individuals more content and satisfied with themselves and with others. (SABERES 2022)
The concept of the “eternal return” says that, due to the finite nature of the forces governing life, the outcomes of these forces cannot bring anything new. Thus, all experiences are destined to occur in alternation with each other. Essentially, what Nietzsche addresses here is that moments of suffering, joy, triumph, and failure will always occur throughout our lives, and there is no doubting that they truly alternate, as they persist for a certain period and then give space to another, in an infinite cycle.
For him, this alternation between emotional states and life periods lacks a purpose and cause (here, let’s say he was a bit pessimistic). I believe that this alternation is crucial for maturing and understanding our feelings in certain situations. However, Nietzsche apparently disagreed with this perspective, as he was not inclined to establish any kind of meaning or reason in any situation. That’s okay, Nietzsche, we’re trying to understand you, don’t worry.
Now, moving on to the positive aspect of it all!
For Nietzsche, the “eternal return” is nothing more than an affirmation of life and something we should be proud of if we can comprehend and accept it. Some people may see this infinite cycle as something scary, knowing that happiness, for example, will not last forever (and indeed it won’t), as we go through highs and lows regardless of our personal circumstances. However, Nietzsche explains that those who can understand the truth of this cycle, and accept it, end up cherishing every moment of life. In other words, instead of lamenting sadness, why not find the best way to make the most of it?
With that, you start to respond to sadness and suffering rather than just accepting it and wishing it to go away. And there’s a significant emotional difference in that!
Keeping in mind that you can do this and making enjoyment from it leads to a profound learning, as you stop yearning for the next period.
This is also a form of maturing!
I’m going to leave here one quote of him to help the comprehension of it:
“Your entire life, like an hourglass, will always be turned over again and will always drain away again […]. And then you will find every pain and every pleasure, and every friend and enemy, and every hope and every mistake, and every blade of grass and every ray of sunshine again, the entire connection of all things.” Nietzsche.
From the book Will to Power 2010.
Now, where is the relation with selfishness?
Let ‘s go!
Has everyone ever met or lived with that person who complains about everything and everyone and nothing is ever good for them? Well, this person is selfish.
If you don’t agree with me, allow me to explain my point.
If a person, as soon as they see you, starts to hurl complaints at everyone, or to say that their life is not good because of that fact, that person is using you as a garbage bag of complaints, because instead of asking how you are, or wonder why their life is like this, this person prefers to simply go around shouting the complaints that come into their mind.
Calm down,
I want to make something clear here,
this is very different from someone who wants to vent, as venting is most of the time repressed and is not expressed to everyone in a blatant tone and furthermore, most people, when they are willing to vent, or they are open to listening to help, or, if they don’t want to hear a possible solution, they know the right time to stop talking and don’t keep repeating themselves.
Now, the person who only complains without limits, is not at all concerned about his listener, this person just wants attention for himself and in the vast majority wants others to have mercy on him, that’s why he becomes a selfish person, because what matters is their complaint and they don’t think that it affects (a lot, depending on the person) their listener.
Related to Nietzsche’s infinite cycle, this person who keeps complaining is just accepting suffering instead of using it to improve and overcome, even turning into a toxic relationship, while complaining can influence other people’s emotions. Therefore, Nietzsche consistently states that those who accept the “eternal return” know their abilities and maintain healthy relationships, whereas those who nurture this type of toxic relationship end up seeing the cycle as a curse.
Ok, but what can you do to help someone who is tied to this selfishness of complaints?
Open this person’s eyes! in the sense of: demonstrating different ways (such as the positive part of the cycle) and portraying this person as someone looking for improvement and not as someone who is suffering, as this ends up making everything worse.
Furthermore, it is worth a comment such as, do you think that any of your complaints have had any effect or have led to any conclusion? This will shock that person and perhaps help them understand this cycle.
Nietzsche even portrays the idea of “eternal return” using the arrival of a friendly colleague!
A demon!
Imagine that he went to visit you and arrives saying the following sentence:
“This life of yours, you will have to live it whole again, without changing anything, everything the same, several times”. Demon.
Would this be a joy or a curse for you?
Would you celebrate or feel anguish?
If you want, leave your answer in the comments! I’ll be happy to read it!
Anyway, I believe I wrote what was necessary to establish this relation that remained in my mind during a short reading time. Again, if there is any error, either in the content or in the writing of this text, I ask you to flag it so that I can change whatever it is. And thank you very, very much if you’ve read this far, I hope my writing isn’t that boring.
To write this text, I used the following books for theorical basis:
- Will to Power (2010)
- 100 minutes to understand Nietzsche from the Saberes Collection (2022)
Thank you and see you in the next text!
Have a joyful week!
