Vincent the lonely student and by my father's request

For some of you this may be a stretch. Bear with me. Before Friedrich Nietzsche started showing signs of insanity in the year 1889 he produced some pretty unearthing ideas that weren't widely popular. His most resonating idea, by my understanding, is his idea of the Superman, which literally translated from the original German ubermensch is Overman. This superman is not one who can fly faster then a speeding bullet or leap tall buildings in a single bound (although, he may believe he should be treated as if he could). Nietzsche's superman, we'll call him Vincent, is privileged enough to be leaps and bounds beyond mortal toil's subsidiary hindrances, such as "pity, tolerance of the weak, the power of the soul over the body, the belief in an afterlife, and the corruption of modern values (Nietzsche had an inherent dislike for Christianity)." Vincent rejoices in the fact that he is responsible for his own happiness. He does not rely on religion or the effervescence of society to dictate what is good and evil; he decides this on his own. Vincent is in a constant state of flux, much like the world and he finds great joy in this, so there is little room for suffering. Compassion, he believes, is the greatest weakness of all because it allows the weak to disrupt the potential prosperity of the strong. Nietzsche would teach Vincent that Man is something that he will surpass and overcome. Nietzsche says, "What is the ape to man? A laughingstock or a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the overman [superman]: a laughingstock or a painful embarrassment." It might be interesting to note that Vincent would be the bizarro version of the Superman of DC Comics, at least when you compare their values. Jor-El, Superman's father left him a recording with instructions on how to use his powers on Earth; "They can be a great people Kal-El. They wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all their capacity for good, I sent them you... my only son." For the sake of Comparison, let's say Neitzsche is Vincent's father and Vincent has all the same powers Kal-El does. It's relatively safe to assume that Neitzsche would advise Vincent to use his powers in an opposite way, not necessarily to conquer man-kind but to know and find great joy in being much, much better then them as he surpassed them on his way to his ultimate destiny.



"God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him!" An infamous line from "The Happy Science," by Nietzsche. When I read this, the first thought that came to mind was; "well..., that means that God was once alive." But, what did Nietzche actually mean? Did he believe that God was once alive? Did he ever believe in him? Historians and scholars alike agree that Nietzche was describing Europe in the 19th century where belief in the all-mighty wained. Weather or not that was Nietzshe's intended observation, he would not want Vincent to place his faith in something he couldn't touch or see. Nietzsche was a naturalist; he believed that no more than what was in nature existed and that humans were advanced forms of animals. Anything beyond that was delusional. All Christianity was, Nietzsche believed, was a religion of depression and pity, the great weakness of man...; Vincent would be above this. Vincent wouldn't have to rely on anyone. Anyone who challenged Nietzsche's rhetoric were fools, as far as he was concerned.



The more and more research I have done on Nietzsche has made me more and more angry with him. I respect him as a one of the great defining thinkers of our time but no more of my energy shall be spent.I wouldn't be a fan of Vincent; in fact, I wouldn't be above pouring a beer on him. I have let my passion get the best of me..., as I am a passionate person and I don't care that, at times, my passion defines me. And, some of the best experiences in my life have come out of compassion. Compassion is the highest virtue a human being can have. The things that separate us are nothing more then the things we've created. A human is a human is a human. A state of mind or a superior education does not change that; I'm reminded of that daily.



I find it quite Ironic that Nietzsche depended on the care and compassion of his sister and mother during his final days, as a result of his bout with Syphilis.



Everyone loves someone bringing them chicken soup when they're sick. No one is above that.



Hi Mom.
Hi Dad.