Why You Should Seek Power, Not Happiness - Nietzsche's Guide to Greatness

"...the goal is not the increase of consciousness, but the increase of

power

." Nietzsche, The Will to Power In the pursuit of living a good life, each of us, consciously or implicitly, chooses an ultimate value around which to orient our lives. For many this value is wealth, for others it may be status, social acceptance,

happiness

, pleasure, love, knowledge or comfort. In this video, drawing on the ideas of 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, we are going to argue that if we want to maximize our health and satisfaction, the value we must value most highly is

power

. "What is good?

All this increases in man the feeling of power, the will to power, power itself. What is wrong? All this comes from weakness... Not from contentment, but from more power." Nietzsche, The Will to Power Many people associate the concept of power with the ability to control others and put them at the service of their needs and desires. But this is not the type of power that Nietzsche had in mind, since for him The desire to control others is often the manifestation of an underlying weakness or inferiority complex. Or as he writes: “…the will of the weak to represent some form of superiority, their instinct to follow devious paths towards tyranny over the healthy – where cannot this be discovered, this will to power of the weakest!” Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morality Instead of power as Machiavellian control of others, the kind of power Nietzsche thought we

should

pursue is a power that we embody and express within ourselves.

A power, in other words, equivalent to what Nietzsche called “growth and expansion” (Nietzsche, The Gay Science), or what contemporary philosopher John Richardson called “the improvement of an already given capacity or activity.” (Nietzsche Values)   As some examples, an athlete The person who becomes stronger is increasing his power, just like the writer who improves his writing, the orator who sharpens his public speaking skills, or the teacher who improves his ability to educate. And in the book Nietzsche's Values, John Richardson delves into what for Nietzsche is the highest and purest form of power: "Power is "more life" not by its mere continuation, nor by its multiplication, but by the elevation of life to a higher level. of capacity and control;...

Power is the transition to a higher level... a "self-improvement"... the goal of my life is my growth or strengthening and does not lie simply in expanding but in ascending, which implies overcome previous states of myself.” John Richardson, Nietzsche's Values ​​In Nietzsche's writings there is a

guide

on how to achieve this power and the first step is to formulate a goal that meets 4 conditions. First, the goal must be meaningful and challenging. Second, it must promote our health and well-being, or the well-being of others. Third, it must lead to the achievement of personal excellence; and, finally, it must be our own choice, that is, an expression of our individuality and authentic aspirations.

Or, as Nietzsche wrote in an unpublished note: “Why humanity exists

should

not even concern us: why are you here, that you should ask yourself: and if you do not have a ready answer, then set goals for yourself, high and noble. objectives." Nietzsche, Unpublished Note Once we have a goal that meets these 4 criteria, the next step to achieve power is to dedicate constant time each day to its achievement. In doing so, we will encounter obstacles and resistance. Doubt , fear, anxiety and laziness will torment us. Lack of time or resources, doubts and criticism from others, or problems with our health or relationships will impede our progress.

In the context of the pursuit of power, The obstacles and resistances that stand between us and our goal present an opportunity. Because when we face resistance, if we then expand the limits of our mind and body in the quest to overcome it, we increase our power. Resistances are valuable to the

seek

er of Power in the same way that a skilled opponent or enemy is valuable to the ambitious warrior. For just as a warrior becomes more skilled when faced with a worthy opponent, resistances also function as catalysts that drive us to improve our capabilities and overcome our weaknesses.

Or as Nietzsche says: “The will to power can only be expressed against resistance; It

seek

s what resists it... all expansion, incorporation, growth, is fighting against something that resists... it needs resistance; That is why he seeks resistance.” Nietzsche, The Will to Power   If we engage in what Nietzsche called “the game of resistance and victory,” which consists of an “obstacle that is overcome and immediately followed by another obstacle, which is overcome again,” we will increase our power and eventually achieve the goal we have set for ourselves. And then the final step in Nietzsche's

guide

to power is to leave behind the goal, and whatever we have become, created, or achieved, and set our sights on the next, greater goal. “Everything I believe and no matter how much I love it, I must soon oppose it and my love; “My will wants it that way.” Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra Or as philosopher Bernard Reginster explains in more detail: “He who wants power must not, strictly speaking, destroy what he has created or hate what he loves.

Rather, he must “overcome” what he loved or created. His will to power soon leads him to find that any given creative achievement, any achieved object of a given desire, is no longer satisfactory, no longer sufficient. The power-seeking agent does not seek achievement, so to speak, but to achieve... What he needs are fresh, new, and perhaps greater challenges. And this explains why the search for power takes the form of growth or self-improvement.” Bernard Reginster, The Affirmation of Life In The Will to Power, Nietzsche explains that the pursuit of power "has no final goal, unless the joy of the circle is itself a goal." Here the circle represents the cycle of choosing a goal, facing and overcoming resistance, increasing our power, achieving the goal, and then leaving our creations and achievements behind and starting the cycle again.

By structuring our lives around the pursuit of power, there is no moment, excluding death, when we stop participating in this cycle, this circle of power. Therefore, such a life has no ultimate goal, unless, as Nietzsche explained, we consider the goal to be joy or great

happiness

, which is a spontaneous byproduct of the repeated increase in our power. "What is happiness? The feeling that power increases, that resistance is overcome. Nietzsche, The Antichrist “…joy is only a symptom of the feeling of power achieved… one does not fight for joy… joy accompanies Nietzsche, the will to power Nietzsche's power ethics has profound implications for the worldview of modern man.

Because it offers a solution to the perennial problem of suffering. The problem of suffering is that we need a justification or a meaning for our suffering; Otherwise, we become prone to nihilism, world-weariness, and a festering hatred of life. Nietzsche formulates this problem in the following passage: “Man, the bravest of animals and the most accustomed to suffering, does not repudiate "Suffering as such; he desires it, even seeks it, as long as he is shown a meaning, a purpose to suffering. The meaninglessness of suffering, not suffering itself, was the curse that fell upon humanity until now." Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morality Many religious, philosophical and political systems throughout history have attempted to solve the problem of suffering by postulating that this reality in which we suffer is nothing more than a transition to another better reality, a “world”.

TRUE". , in which suffering is kept to a minimum or disappears completely. Examples of true worlds include religious heavens or social or political utopias that are said to exist on the historical horizon. Such worldviews attempt to give meaning to suffering by promoting the idea that as long as we endure our present suffering, at some point in the future we will find redemption in a reality devoid of it. But the fatal error of these supposed solutions is that they devalue this earthly reality and the present moment, in favor of another reality or future moment, whose existence we must assume with faith. "The concept 'beyond', 'true world', invented to devalue the only world that exists, to retain no goal, no reason, no task for our earthly reality!" Nietzsche, Ecce Homo In contrast, Nietzsche's power ethics offers a realistic solution to the problem of suffering.

Because if we consider power to be the highest human value – the value that, above all, promotes individual flourishing – then we must also value the resistances that give us the opportunity to increase our power. Suffering is defined by resistance; It is a feeling of pain or anguish as a result of having been hindered in some way. Therefore, if we value power, we must also value suffering, as it is an essential ingredient of power. Or as Nietzsche explains: “…human beings do not seek pleasure and avoid displeasure. What human beings want... is an increase in power; Driven by that will, they seek resistance, they need something to oppose it; discontent, as an obstacle to their will to power, is, therefore, a normal fact;

Human beings do not avoid it, rather they continually need it.” Nietzsche, The Will to Power Nietzsche's worldview does not require any leap of faith, nor does it encourage us to place our hopes for salvation in something external to ourselves, be it a god, a science, a politician, or a political or religious ideology. It is a worldview that offers a compelling and sober solution to the problem of suffering. And it promotes a life of meaningful and productive action, thus functioning as an antidote to the passivity that has infected the zeitgeist of modern civilization. Therefore, if we choose to participate in the circle of power, or what amounts to the cycle of continuous self-improvement, we will facilitate the realization of our potential and cultivate the “great happiness” and “great health” that are prerogatives. of the power seeker. “Pleasure appears where there is a feeling of power.

Happiness: in the triumphant consciousness of power and victory.” Nietzsche, The Will to Power Or as he wrote in Thus Spoke Zarathustra: “And life itself entrusted me with the secret: behold, he said, I am that which must always surpass itself.” Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra