What is Existentialism? How do we find ourselves? How do we become the person that we want to become? Well stick around, because we will be answering these questions by exploring the theory of existentialism by Friedrich Nietzsche.
What is Existentialism? By definition, existentialism is the philosophical belief that we are responsible for creating purpose and meaning in our own lives. According to Nietzsche, finding ourselves is an essential step towards self-improvement: it makes us happier and it ultimately leads to self-growth. He says that in order to find ourselves, we have to undergo two major steps: finding our own values by abandoning the ‘herd mentality’, and evaluating the root of our desires. Nietzsche states that societal values and truths that we know of today mainly stem from personal experiences of others. Although in some ways these sets of values have united us, they have also greatly limited our individuality and freedom. As individuals, we seek comfort by looking for likeness in others - this is known as adopting the ‘herd mentality’. To avoid being rejected by society, we become a part of the ‘herd’ and shape our identity to fit the societal mold, which makes us lose our individuality and even the curiosity to find who we really are. He explains that, in order to be truly happy, we must abandon this ‘herd mentality’ and find our own values and truths that we want to live by. This involves getting rid of certain relationships, or setting clear boundaries to prevent others from limiting our potential. Next, Nietzsche states that understanding the root of our desires is an essential part of self-growth. For example, many of us have the desire to become more confident; although on a surface level this may not seem harmful, when we take a closer look into the reason why, we will soon realize that it is often to impress others or to prove a point about ourselves to society. Nietzche says that when we explore in such depth about the roots of our desires, we become aware of the superficial and selfish reasoning behind our actions. This allows us to reflect on who we are fundamentally, which helps us find who we really are and the rooms for improvement. Working towards self-discovery Nietzsche posed an important question - If you must relive your life again as you have lived it, would you be content with repeating your life for the rest of eternity? If you believe your actions are worth repeating, then it is safe to say that you have found your true values. If not, chances are that you are still a slave to societal values, and have yet to become an individualized person. One indication that we have not found ourselves is our tendency to repeat past mistakes. To quote Nietzsche, “we need to create our own values to lift the greatest weight.” The ‘greatest weight’ refers to the feeling that crushes us into repeating past mistakes, often due to the values we have adopted from our herd. Before doing something, we must ask ourselves if what we’re doing is truly meaningful to us, or if we’re just acting out of what society thinks is right. Ultimately, Nietzsche’s theory of existentialism can be linked to the ideas of happiness and self-growth in countless ways. Only when we truly discover ourselves and form our own values, can we grow as a person. Here’s the video that inspired me to write this :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=0OIZMGEQ298
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