666

My dad has been talking to me about Nietzsche since I was about 10, and I never really much liked the guy, based on what my dad told me about him.

Turns out, as I learned in my later years, my dad actually didn’t really understand his philosophy, or twisted it to fit his own philosophy.

I went from thinking Nietzsche was a depressive dick, to thinking he was right about a lot of things. To answer your question, here are some things Nietzsche thought that I think he was right about, and I think have really influenced my life:

1. The Will to Power: I will start with the most controversial, least understood philosophy of his. Nietzsche believed that all living things were governed by the will to power, but what does this really mean? It doesn’t have anything to do with actually being more powerful than your fellow organisms. What will to power really means is self expression, and it’s different for everyone. But this will to power idea is what motivates us all – to become who we really are, to reach the apex of self expression in our lives.
2. Alcohol – Nietzsche believed humans should never drink, and that alcohol is detrimental to the development of the soul, that it hinders our capacity to grow as humans. We use alcohol in various situations – celebration, mourning, to have a good time, etc. We use alcohol as a crutch.
3. Christianity (religions) – Nietzsche believed people looked to religions to answer all of life’s unanswerable questions, and no matter how unreasonable the claims of religion are, people will believe it because they need some kind of validation. Christians who believe that an evil person will be punished in the afterlife make excuses to let evil propagate. People don’t take this life seriously because they think it doesn’t matter, and that the only thing that matters is what comes after. But we dont know what comes after and it’s a cop out.
4. Ideas on Suffering – Nietzsche disagreed with the Zen buddhist approach of becoming emotionally detached to all things in life. As humans, we must embrace that we do take emotional attachments, and to avoid pain, the only thing we can do is control our circumstances enough to avoid this pain. Suffering is inevitable, and denying ourselves the emotion of feeling loss is inhuman and ludicrous. We must simply do our best to minimize the chances of these things happen, but when shit happens, it’s life, and we cannot cut off our feelings and pretend they don’t exist. It is better to try to control one’s circumstances and minimize negative risks, rather than spend 20 years in a buddhist temple meditating to the point where you’re a completely detached person that can tolerate and accept suffering without batting an eye. That’s not something to aspire to. I agree. Humans are feeling, conscious, emotional creatures by nature.
5. Not all people are capable – Some are, and these people must leave the fear behind, and listen to their higher selves. The higher self may not always speak, but when it does, it is loud and clear, and for those who listen, they must act.
6. A person’s capacity is based on two things: his courage, and his quantum of energy – basically anyone who is motivated and brave can succeed. A doubtful and lazy person won’t get anywhere in life.