Nietzsche was hopeful, man. The point was not the catastrophe, which he saw as a necessary danger. The point was overcoming nihilism by finding a source of creativity and valuation within oneself.
Since first reading Nietzsche on nihilism in 1976 I've been following his prophecies as lived hypotheses through 50+ jobs, 37 states and 13 countries. He was absolutely correct. And if you don't like the way things are going now, just wait awhile. Here's the most relevant passage, near the end of the 1967 Kaufman edition of "Will To Power": “What I relate is the history of the next two centuries. I describe what is coming, what can no longer come differently: the advent of nihilism! Nihilism stands at the door: whence comes this uncanniest of all guests? 1. Point of departure: it is an error to consider 'social distress' or 'physiological degeneration' or, worse, corruption, as the cause of nihilism. Ours is the most decent and compassionate age. Distress, whether of the soul, body, or intellect, cannot of itself give birth to nihilism (i.e., the radical repudiation of value, meaning, and desirability). Such distress always permits a variety of interpretations. Rather: it is in one particular interpretation, the Christian-moral one, that nihilism is rooted. 2. The end of Christianity-at the hands of its own morality (which cannot be replaced), which turns against the Christian God (the sense of truthfulness, developed highly by Christianity, is nauseated by the falseness and mendaciousness of all Christian interpretations of the world and of history; rebound from 'God is truth' to the fanatical faith 'All is false'; a Buddhism of inaction). 3. Skepticism regarding morality is what is decisive. The end of the moral interpretation of the world, which no longer has any sanction after it has tried to escape into some beyond, leads to nihilism. 'Everything lacks meaning' (the untenability of one interpretation of the world, upon which a tremendous amount of energy has been lavished, awakens the suspicion that all interpretations of the world are false). Buddhistic tendency, a kind of yearning for Nothing. (Indian Buddhism is not the culmination of a thoroughly moralistic development; its nihilism is therefore full of morality that is not overcome: existence as punishment, existence construed as error, error thus as a punishment- is a moral valuation.) 4. Philosophical attempts to overcome the 'moral God' (Hegel, pantheism). Overcoming popular ideals: the sage; the saint; the poet. The antagonism of 'true' and 'beautiful' and 'good'." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche (1888)
Nietzsche was correct indeed. People have to find their own purpose in life, but I hear that so many are without it at the moment. "Figuring things out for yourself is the only freedom anyone really has. Use that freedom. Make up your own mind...". Society nowadays doesn't make it easy though, and I truly feel for the youths out there trying to find identity in such a shit show.
Slightly ironic you use a quote from a Hollywood hypnosis production of a military man. Good film though. I reckon there is a correlation with lack of identity and the ability of the youth to see the night sky unencumbered. When you can see the full night sky, you remember.
Finding my own way of living, that kind of freedom is the scary thing. But I must try Freedom means there are unforseen consequences that comes with freedom
Yes, "find your own meaning" ends up with most people finding hedonism instead. That's why religion is fundamental for life direction and objective morality.
Drowning in moral poverty is so real. With the way social media and news constantly expose us to the worst parts of life we've had to become somewhat desensitised
@@pixiebomb28 Content that is shocking or provocative generates more clicks, views and comments; thus, anyone looking to make a profit will find that it is easier to push that type of content in order achieve their goal quicker.
After my divorce 2 years ago- I believed my life as a father was over way to short. But my two teenage sons, that live with me 100% of the time… my life as a single father has been amazing. My focus is getting the youngest one finished with high school. My oldest is in mechanic trade school. He has always loved working on cars.
According to PEW Research Center 85% of parents find the greatest sense of meaning, by a Long shot, in their Children. Other studies show that the more children a woman has, the lower her chance of suicide. This all makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, everything we are today we evolved to be because it helped our children survive, and our infants take an enormous amount of work to keep alive for a longer time than any other species! And it would have been even harder in pre-historic times. If our pre-historic ancestors didn't get positive feelings out of supporting and raising their children, they wouldn't have put the work in and we would have died out. We can now avoid the work required through contraceptives and abortions without realizing it's actually what we need.
So many are replacing religion with faith in government and related institutions which is unfortunate because this often involves forcing your beliefs on others.
Even as a child, when I lacked for nothing, I wanted to die : I wanted to surrender because I saw no sense in struggling. I felt that nothing would be proved, substantiated, added or subtracted by continuing an existence which I had not asked for. - Henry Miller
“I don't believe in God. Can you understand that? Look around you man. Cant you see? The clamor and din of those in torment has to be the sound most pleasing to his ear. And I loathe these discussions. The argument of the village atheist whose single passion is to revile endlessly that which he denies the existence of in the first place. Your fellowship is a fellowship of pain and nothing more. And if that pain were actually collective instead of simply reiterative then the sheer weight of it would drag the world from the walls of the universe and send it crashing and burning through whatever night it might yet be capable of engendering until it was not even ash. And justice? Brotherhood? Eternal life? Good god, man. Show me a religion that prepares one for death. For nothingness. There's a church I might enter. Yours prepares one only for more life. For dreams and illusions and lies. If you could banish the fear of death from men's hearts they wouldnt live a day. Who would want this nightmare if not for fear of the next? The shadow of the axe hangs over every joy. Every road ends in death. Or worse. Every friendship. Every love. Torment, betrayal, loss, suffering, pain, age, indignity, and hideous lingering illness. All with a single conclusion. For you and for every one and everything that you have chosen to care for. There's the true brotherhood. The true fellowship. And everyone is a member for life. You tell me that my brother is my salvation? My salvation? Well then damn him. Damn him in every shape and form and guise. Do I see myself in him? Yes. I do. And what I see sickens me. Do you understand me? Can you understand me?” ― Cormac McCarthy, The Sunset Limited
Lose ur life a few times and then know how sweet life is. ❤ To me one breathe is worth it. There is only one person who can be me. So I do me with great humility. One chance to have one breathe.
It seems that he needed to get a job or do something productive. He was probably some bored, priviledged westerner with too much time on His hands! Some bohemian i.diot!
However it is noteworthy that humans have shown God the door in every aspect of life but then wonder all incredulously 'where He is' whenever a calamity happens. Apparently we think He should still loiter around even after being expelled -- just in case. It also shows we mere mortals still retain an inherent sense of right and wrong -- while simultaneously still attempting to believe that there's absolutely no Divine intelligence to attribute or it to, or from which it naturally comes. We're an odd, rebellious bunch, aren't we?
I was born in a Muslim family and society. I used to pray 5 times a day, reading Quran almost everyday, reading Islamic books since my childhood. And while doing that I wasn't convinced. I read a lot of things that made me questioned why is that? How? It's not logic? But I was scared to ask these questions to elder people. So in 14 y.o, I started reading books about history, Arab people before Islam, Mohammed's life, also books about other religions, philosophy, science ect... I also followed Twitter accounts that criticize Islam and Christianity ect. After doing that for 4 years, I ended up leaving Islam and not believing in any religion. And I think that made me a rational objective person, the hate in my heart had disappear. Like I was raised that my religion is the only right one and everyone else will go to hell. So i kinda hated christians and thought that they're stupid also Hindu and ahh our greatest enemy Jews people. So now I don't hate anyone. I think everyone is right and wrong at the same time. I also think that no one have the definitive truth. I think that I become smarter like I used to believe any information without thinking. About my morals, I become much more kinder tbh, because helping people makes me happy, I don't do it because God said so, but because I feel so. I hurt no one. And I become a much more opened person. I think that religion is a confort zone for many people. They're scared to think, and they will ask their God for help. It helps them relax. And nothing wrong with that. But religious people also need to create their own path to think. My morals get influenced by many philosophers especially Epicurus and Buddha. And my life become less stress. There's no Jin wants to hurt me, and I don't have to blame evil for my mistakes, I blame myself. The problem of people leaving religions is that they follow short happiness. If people follow philosophy and science, I will be less violence and hate. Even religion makes you hate other people and selfish. Back in the history the main reason of wars was religion
You reacted in the best possible way, but others going through the same process could indeed choose a path of selfishness, greed, materialistic nihilism, etc. with the same journey. No easy answers all around.
@@MVProfits yeah, but sometimes I be like I wish I didn't know all this stuff. Like my mind is tired of that. At least religious people live a simple life and have someone they go to when they feel sad. Not like us.
@@llandolci yep, that's true as well. I'm agnostic you might say, IDK what is the afterlife or if there is any. But in THIS life, religious people have a sense of certainty and feel a power that is helpful for a lot of them, for sure. A lot less doubts overall - which helps a lot in some cases, and can be a prison in a few other cases. I get what you're saying.
I was born and raised in a catholic familly and have been a believer for 30 years, after becoming an agnostic and subsequently a declared atheist I finally turned to philosophy and psychology to rule my life. I mostly study Stoicism as I can see many logical thoughts to rule a man's life without the necessity to respond to a deity or being subdued by an institution; I still respect Christianity and religions in general though, because they also provide the same teachings as Stoicism, for a better day-to-day life.
Even when I did believe in God I still went by "would I do this if no one was watching" on many occasions. I find this question particularly powerful to point out the truth of someone's heart. If someone, despite believing in some higher responsibility, tells you they would go commit crimes and atrocities, do not trust them in critical or desperate situations. Afterall, if they can betray a God, how much more will they betray you.
@@AndrewChristiansen-rx4mx he didn’t imply that - at all . What he said was that someone who claims to be an avid believer in a higher power yet still goes and commits crimes and atrocities , even in the face of their God , is surely someone not to be trusted. The person here demonstrates that although they still need God , and even in the face of God , they still commit wrong. So never did their need of God translate into instilling the righteous code of conduct that others would normally expect- or require - from this person. Here his need of God never at all assisted this individual to do the right thing to begin with. Thus his need of God here for this one individual person never automatically equated to being good or moral that others would normally expect. However that much being said and despite this it doesn’t mean that everyone who needs God would still do wrong or contradict their faith. So perhaps they DO IN FACT need him for that guidance when they do right. Then also the vice versa is true , as it doesn’t mean that people who don’t need God would always necessarily do the wrong thing either if they never had God as their compass . You’re looking at it incorrectly . Because some still DO while others don’t - it all depends on the person . Now as far as how many not needing God to still do the right thing while going into the future ? Well , only time will tell , because this phenomenon is still very recent.
Einstein summed up religion quite well: If people are good because they fear eternal punishment, and hope for eternal reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.
Most people only help others out of pity. But the problem is they help them because they dont like feeling pity and in doing so also views them as weaker and inferior. People should help others because they respect them and see them as equals not because they feel bad.
To be fair though, that’s pretty much how we work in every other aspect too, so I don’t understand why it’s condemnable when it comes to religion. We’re raised on reward and punishment, it continues in the education system and doesn’t stop at the workplace either. Additionally I would argue a lot of laws are the only reason people don’t do certain things. It’s simply how we work.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” ― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Since first reading Nietzsche on nihilism in 1976 I've been following his prophecies as lived hypotheses through 50+ jobs, 37 states and 13 countries. He was absolutely correct. And if you don't like the way things are going now, just wait awhile. Here's the most relevant passage, near the end of the 1967 Kaufman edition of "Will To Power": “What I relate is the history of the next two centuries. I describe what is coming, what can no longer come differently: the advent of nihilism! Nihilism stands at the door: whence comes this uncanniest of all guests? 1. Point of departure: it is an error to consider 'social distress' or 'physiological degeneration' or, worse, corruption, as the cause of nihilism. Ours is the most decent and compassionate age. Distress, whether of the soul, body, or intellect, cannot of itself give birth to nihilism (i.e., the radical repudiation of value, meaning, and desirability). Such distress always permits a variety of interpretations. Rather: it is in one particular interpretation, the Christian-moral one, that nihilism is rooted. 2. The end of Christianity-at the hands of its own morality (which cannot be replaced), which turns against the Christian God (the sense of truthfulness, developed highly by Christianity, is nauseated by the falseness and mendaciousness of all Christian interpretations of the world and of history; rebound from 'God is truth' to the fanatical faith 'All is false'; a Buddhism of inaction). 3. Skepticism regarding morality is what is decisive. The end of the moral interpretation of the world, which no longer has any sanction after it has tried to escape into some beyond, leads to nihilism. 'Everything lacks meaning' (the untenability of one interpretation of the world, upon which a tremendous amount of energy has been lavished, awakens the suspicion that all interpretations of the world are false). Buddhistic tendency, a kind of yearning for Nothing. (Indian Buddhism is not the culmination of a thoroughly moralistic development; its nihilism is therefore full of morality that is not overcome: existence as punishment, existence construed as error, error thus as a punishment- is a moral valuation.) 4. Philosophical attempts to overcome the 'moral God' (Hegel, pantheism). Overcoming popular ideals: the sage; the saint; the poet. The antagonism of 'true' and 'beautiful' and 'good'." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche (1888)
The movie Naked (1993) described perfectly what Nietzsche feared. I’d argue it was always like this, but internet/social media has completely nuked people’s minds to mush.
That, certainly - but let's not forget the 72 shots of 16 different vaccines by the age of 18, and the incessant drugging of our children, adults, and seniors.
We live such empty lives it’s insane. We have everything that u need for survival yet we lost the most important parts of life: purpose, meaning, harmony, connecting. As long as this generation starts living differently as there parents thought them (money,house,work,school)we are just gonna see more and more pain.
Yeah, cause history shows that everything was So harmonious back then. People used to constantly be At war, killing eachother in the most gruesone ways, it was Even worse than today. We are living in the most peaceful era of humanity.
@@ai-no3ibJust because the wars aren't raging in our backyards doesn't mean they have stopped. People in first world countries like the US all too often take for granted peace manufactured through proxy manipulation. I highly doubt those living in the Middle East would consider this their most peaceful era--probably quite the opposite.
@@goldenlizard92 Tell that to the people of the middle ages Who fought in barbaric wars, died of horrific diseases, died from a tooth infection, in childbirth, from the plague, smallpox, worked hard Agricultural jobs to survive, had no indoor toilet, shower or running water and bathed once a year. The kings took their money, there was pillaging, theft, prostituting, murder, the rich took enslaved the poor, Even the church forced people to Pay good money because it was a very powerful and corrupt institution! God and religion has nothing to do with the downfall of men! I’m agnostic and I still have a set of moral values, I don’t go around hurting other people, I still do good deeds because I feel like doing them! And btw, the middle East is stuck in the middle ages fighting religious wars BECAUSE of religion, before islam, that area was the cradle of civilization!
I'm quite old now and in Finland all through my life religion has not played any part of my life, or the lives of the people I know. Still nobody in my early years complained about the lack of purpose or meaning. This anxiety has come in the last couple of decades, and particularly in the last decade and it's all because of the smart phone, not the lack of religion. We have started to live our lives online, and many people who know of nothing else, feel sick because of it. That's because they don't know how it was before, they only know the artificial world of the fast and portable internet. They try to fit their human instincts, needs and wants to work in this digital realm, but they naturally fail in it, because human interactions are not supposed to be just short readable messages or videos, but the actual presence of other people in a physical space. This is why the younger people feel that "the world" is an awful place, as the only world they have ever known is a highly lonely, artificial and commercial one, facilitated by big corporations like Instagram, X, TikTok RUclips and the like. I see these kinds of videos all the time now, videos which yearn for religion to make a comeback, but the lack of religion is NOT the problem. The problem is that people have opted out of all natural communities and embraced artificial and superficial ones in the name of short term comfort. I repeat; in my childhood and younger years nobody had any "existential crisis" or thought that life is without purpose or meaning whatsoever. People may have had their individual hardships, but there was no big sentiment that "the whole world is an awful, anxiety inducing dystopia". That all came along with portable high speed internet, and people preferring it's comfort over actual interactions. There's still lots and lots people could do which would enrich their lives exponentially, but they just choose not to, say it's impossible and yearn for something like religion to come back and hand them meaning.
“One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. So now people assume that religion and morality have a necessary connection. But the basis of morality is really very simple and doesn't require religion at all.” ― Arthur C. Clarke
Nietzsche said basically the same. The issue, according to him, is that on the current stage, humanity still can't have morality being separated from religion. And our current society perfectly reinforce it.
For years, I've been contemplating these thoughts, asking my grandparents and parents what religion meant to them, and comparing it to how we see it now. The fundamentals of religion are a great social construct, they did abuse their power and people jumped ship, I need to remind you that this happens in all forms of power. Corrupt companies, corrupt financial institutions, corrupt politicians... We decide to let it happen because we can't do much about these scandals because it's out of range for most of us, and we've become too scared and obedient towards this normalized vulgar power structure. On all levels of society, religion made us one, we shared ideals and ways of thinking, giving us a group to be a part of. This has been replaced with 'individuality' and, as mentioned, we do create small, skin-deep communities. None of these have a profound meaning, so it's like eating a very sugary treat. It tastes nice, but it leaves you feeling hungry and wanting more. Also this progression leads to every external event that happens to an individual or any issue they encounter in the world, regardless of whether it is their fault or not, they are ultimately responsible for everything, which creates a tremendous amount of stress and a feeling of helplessness. As a modern society, we are free, but we are also separated from each other. We are like a group of instruments that don't play well together and make noise instead of making music.
"As a modern society, we are free, but we are also separated from each other. We are like a group of instruments that don't play well together and make noise instead of making music." -Joffrey Geenen. Very nicely said and I will make sure to remember this one. Very thoughtful comment overall as well.Thank you!
Love the last sentence, might also explain why I love dissonant music, it really reflects that aspect of the world. A recent song that comes to mind is Noiseless Noise by PJ Harvey, highly recommend. :)
I was raised Christian. While I understand wholeheartedly the positive value of religion, I also understand how incredibly destructive it can be. How obsessed people become by it and how it warps people's minds. How people will argue about what they think being a good Christian or good muslim or good Jew is and impose their own views on others. I see a resugence in Christianity. I see it almost as a new "club" people are joining just to feel a part of something. And its not out of the realm of possibility that members of this new club will eventually do what their predecessors did. Chastise, persecute, vilify those who aren't in "the club" or who don't abide by its rules. I already see this happening amongst a new generation of young conservatives. People as individuals are fine. In groups, they're absolute morons and will go along with almost anything so as to remain a devoted member. And this can apply to religious groups, political groups, any group of people who are expected to follow along with certain tenets and beliefs. Liberals in the past few years have shown how insane and nonsensical secular people can be just as the salem witch trials showed how insane and nonsensical religious people can be.
The ironic thing is modern liberalism has become a religion. What's the difference between claiming a virgin gave birth and claiming men can give birth? Nothing much, and both groups I'm referring to will hate you if you point out the objective fact neither of those things are possible (without unnatural modern procedures, anyway).
Your critique of Christianity is that it isn't. Most Christians, nearly all in my estimation, neither know Christ nor follow his example. I point out your observation of being a "good" Christian. Jesus himself is quoted as saying "no one is good but the Father", so those pseudo-Christians who have spoken of being a "good" Christian belie their lack of understanding. Most Christians simply aren't.
@@tedlogan4867 are you a Christian? The problem is everyone thinks they know what it means to be a good Christian. So in a roundabout way you sort of are proving my point.
I’ve come to the conclusion that zealousness isn’t so much a religious problem as it is a human problem. We just tend to associate it with religions/religious people because up until very recently pretty much everyone was religious. In fact, I think the last 125 years have made it clear that most problems that people associate with organized religion can be duplicated within secular organizations just as easily.
@@ptyleranodon3081 yes I agree. I think religion is a very strong conduit however for extreme zealotry/beliefs. But anytime people start identifying with groups it is problematic
The hardest time I had with my life morally and emotionally was when I gave up looking for god after a lifetime of being raised in religion with no actual tools to make sense of the world. A lot of personal pain would have been spared had I been raised with the proper tools. After years of struggling to find a good path I'm now a big supporter of stoicism and CBT as it has helped me move forward with personal meaning.
Stoicism is great and being stoic is difficult as it demands a great deal on your behalf. This makes stoicism quite timeless, but also not very popular by its very nature
@@rokaspleckaitis8924 Correct. The foolish and the fearful have way better false comfort due to their greater numbers. Their only effort involves keeping up with the latest trend.
I choose to believe not because I have to or to evade eternal damnation but because I see it as a light that draws me to it and out of this world of darkness. Having lived years in depression and working as an ICU nurse I questioned the meaning of it all until one day I decided that meaning is an open ended question, it is what we choose to make it. Morality has a purpose of providing order in a world that otherwise would favor might over right. So instead, I accept that I like most in the world, am insignificant except to the few who love me. But as a group, united by common moral codes, we help provide meaning to a world governed by apathetic physical laws. Does my belief mean that I’m right and others should believe as I do? No, instead it offers me a light to direct my path out of this dark world. Is the light sunshine leading towards green meadows of peace or is it instead the headlight of an oncoming train? Only time will tell but until then I have light shining on my path that helps me from stumbling in the darkness and for that I am grateful.
@@gorillagas5546 you have immense purpose and usually you won’t even realize it. We affect others’ lives by our own words and actions so be slow to judge and swift to help and your rewards will be great no matter if you believe in God or not because ‘Virtue is it’s own reward’. Doing virtuous things makes one virtuous and what greater reward could one desire.
I was born and raised in a strict Catholic family. When I entered my teen rebelious stage, i was ultimately shunned and exiled from my whole family, and left on my own at 16. The first ten years were pretty rough, delved deep into atheism and anti religion. The next 5 years after that, i turned my life around for the better, the bext five years after that came some of the most life changing and traumatic events. I bled out in childbirth, and crossed into the middle ground between life and death. I was only there for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity. And the things i saw truly changed my perspective on life. Most would think i came back with a renound sense of faith, a rejuvenation for life, but i did not. In fact, I fell into a deep depression and sense of nihilistic thinking, that battles in the inner workings of my mind. I found your videos about a year ago, when i really decided to try and pull myself back together for my family's sake. (And i thank you for making them, they are incredibly helpful to my healing journey) Between therapy, and guided self help with my therapist, I have come to fins some solace in catholicism. Its hard to explain, and i am atill exploring this, but the point about sense of community and finding people to be able to relate to has been a huge help for myself. I can definitely agree with alot of points in this video. Religion has helped, but philosophy and psychology have helped me understand religion in a deeper way. I think the point of nihilism destroying itself by either succumbing to the bitterness or finding a light is a great point, and one I will definitely explore within myself more. Thank you for all the work you put into these video essays, and thank you for your help in my personal journey to a better mindset. You have helped my emotional durability more than you will ever know.
@Woke_Imperialist6066 lol! Nah, the one in the pic passed a couple years ago, I've since lost most of the pictures I had of him, and that one I keep as a memorial. Husband and 4 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and more garden than I know what to do with
"He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how" - The man covered in this video Indeed, if you are unable to make decisions for yourself, they will be made for you, often against your own interest and to the detriment of your character.
I find meaning through producing art. And 3 years ago, I couldn't even draw. At all; like, *at all.* I read a few books on drawing and now I have progressed into figure drawing! It's like Schopenhauer (sp) said...the only way to happiness is an appreciation for the arts and letters. Ive heard that repeated so many times, and I now firmly believe it.
As a Buddhist I feel attacked by this video haha! On a serious note, I feel this raises a question I’ve found myself asking as I get older, though I feel like most people are caught up in their own busy lives to the point of not noticing, zombie like if you will.
This video is more about Christianity, religious people who are devoted to god and the loss of that tradition. As an Atheist who leans towards more at Spirituality, Buddhism and Taoism philosophy I'm not offended at all. People just have to explore other religions, incorporate all the good morals, wisdoms and life lessons that each offer and take mental health seriously, learn more about psychology.
@@canchero724 because Buddhism is not really religion he is philosopher, and ppl make religion out of him, i personally dislike buddism tho because he is not as liberating as ppl tought
I don’t know about the rest of the world, but here in the US we are a bunch of monsters fighting and striving to get the most money we can on a daily basis. People have become so removed from anything spiritual.
@@johnstow5613 tell me u don’t understand reaganomics without telling me u don’t understand reaganomics. reaganomics referrers to the deregulation of economics during the 1980’s ie stripping down everything that made the workforce human instead looking only at the bottom line stripping down every cost that wasn’t efficient. it’s what’s caused such a huge finical discrepancy in this country. trickle down economics is what ur racist grandpa tells u when ur 12 it’s a myth
I have studied ancient vedic astrology which is based on karma and reincarnation-it gives my life a lot of meaning. In a lifetime you will probably experience a seven year period of karmic correction (Ketu dasha)-every spiritually minded person hopes to go through one of these periods despite it being the most challenging time. Through this understanding of spiritual science (science of light), astrology guides us naturally to do the right thing to protect our future and future lives. It has taught me this point more so than Christianity where people may be tempted to make selfish 'mistakes' in the thought that forgiveness for error can be granted, and not improve their lives properly. It helps me to reflect on life and strive for the most positive symbolic meanings of periods of time eg. Saturn could mean depression or, your choice- hard work, discipline and success through perseverance. Or Mars- anger and hatred ,or getting fit and challenging yourself physically
What’re your thoughts on the caste system? - more specifically, the idea that the social standing you’re born into is a manifestation of your karma. Ie untouchable, Brahmin etc
Religion yes, but most fools doesn't separate god and religion. The belief in god, has not much to do with religion. Wise men, know god and have no use for religion.
Nothing has meaning except the meaning we give it. The year after I finished school (2018-2019) this really hit me. Since 2012, whenever I was in a uncomfortable situation I prayed for Jesus's comeback. Later I thought that I could just repent for my sins and accept Jesus as my lord and saviour right when I jumped of a cliff. Since 2020 I live without any real purpose other than "mom would be sad". Which is so dumb
Evangelical Protestantism is simply the same Issue as We see in Humanism. It rejects Christian Tradition and makes it about a "Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ". Ironically so does Modern Catholiscism. Well, Not Entirely but in terms of Rank and Lilke and what The Church Pushes Openly Now. The Truth is, Secularising The Church or Weakening The Theology and History is Not any Different from the Secular World. I say Meaning is in Christianity in its True and Deep Form, not in its Popular Form.
You have become the malcontent suffering from mental illness and or depression. This is what is going to cause socialism/communism then the suffering of country. Good times create soft men hard times create strong men...many narcissist up tick in society as well. This will end badly these people will bring on to us there wrath there revenge... Revenge for what? For being born.
@@deplorible753 - All are Worthy of Care, and this "Unworthy of Care" Mentality is itself the Issue. Unless We Treat All as having Worth, None Will Really have Worth.
Great video. I think it’s difficult to really know the full increases of depression and related mental health issues. Over the last few decades the DSM (manual for identifying a mental health diagnosis) has included more and more behaviours to be classified under a mental health diagnosis. Therefore, your chances of being diagnosed with depression or other mental health needs has dramatically increased. This is compounded by the hegemonic role of the pharmaceutical industry who have a clear vested interest in swelling their customer base. What was once seen as a normal reactions to difficult social issues may now be more readily classified as something pathological. I not arguing that depression is not on the increase, although its reasons are complex.
Agree I think many different factors play into the spike in depression. It really cannot help that our society currently rewards victimhood though. I’m now seeing middle class men striving for victimhood - that’s a sure fire path to unhappiness
We are very unhealthy and the pharmaceutical industry thrives on that 💯💯!!! If we learned how to properly take care of ourselves both physically and mentally as well as emotionally (they are all connected) we wouldn't feel the need to give in and take pills. Sometimes you have to get to the source of the problem yourself because it's not always something a doctor is willing to do.. Ask yourself questions and do some personal investigating; is it something that you may feel uncomfortable facing emotionally.. is it lack of sleep, do you need meditation, more exercise or maybe it's because you are lacking a certain vitamin or your hormones are off..???🤷🤷 It's typically something that can be resolved without medication but that simply will not do because they won't get that extra cash from it💵💵💰💰 If you research hard enough, the "chemical imbalance" theory was debunked YEARS ago!!! But they still preach that bs..🤦🤦🤬🤬🤬 We also have to be aware of medical manipulation to.. When I turned down medication for my depressive episodes, I was amazed at the tactics they tried to use to reel me in...😳😳😳 To each their own at the end of the day but me; been there, done that, no thanks...😒😒👎👎👎
@@enigmaticallis3110 Totally agree, the chemical imbalance stuff is a bunch of BS. IT'S a cash cow in the majority of cases. Almost any other therapy is better than Pharma, IMHO!
Once humans don't become so attached to "meaning," and that there must be some underlying meaning of existence in order to thrive, then they may be able to overcome this whole dilemma. We are meaning seeking creatures due to our large brains and ability for abstract thinking. Existence doesn't have to be "for a reason," as so many wish to think. It is okay that nothing was "designed" for us.
People have always been obsessed with looks and beauty, from the beginning of civilization, it's not like this is some sort of new trend and in my opinion it's nothing to do with the decline of religion: that void has been filled by consumerism, hedonism, materialism. Back in the day, it was even worse - people believed that beauty was a reflection of morality, and ugly people were seen as bad people. The idea of inner beauty is actually a much more modern concept than one might think. But make no mistake - our obsession with looks and beauty has always been a part of human nature.
I think the more the years go by, the closer we get to the razor's edge of complete moral decline. I'm from a religious background so I try to take the best parts of it and apply it to everyday life.
Jesus Christ destroyed religion, and even the appearance of being religious. It’s a relationship. It’s about the precious blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
I just don't understand why people need to be told to be good? We have laws and norms in society to take care of the minority of deviants who come from religious and non-religious backgrounds. Just be kind to one another and plan for the fact that some people are not well. 😊
that is incorrect. if you let it get to you; then its your own fault. ive seen many elderly who are happy if not happier than the were in their youths. so your point is moot. what you are talking about is a person who grew up fearing god and everything else . so you get scared. and that being scared makes you angry. but its impossible for me; because i hate aggression with all my soul. unless i lose my mentality due to severe old age; ill alway be the same person ive alwyas been.
@@jasonlee8497huh? The christian religion went on a thousand plus year tear destroying every other religions and culture they met. Converting by the sword or assault. The christians following their religion have done nothing except hurt others
The thing about people abandoning religion is that many can't think for themself. Let's face it, not everyone are capable of self governance, and have a functioning moral compass or even just basic etiquette to other people. At the very least religion give them this sets of good and bad that they should follow. From there, if they educate themself and be independent thinker then that's good. If not then at the very least, they still have those sets of moral compass and not be an ass towards other
non Muslim can abandon their faith without fearing for their life,, but Muslims can't,, i am an ex-muslim,, and I can't even tell anyone because i fear for my life,,
So true. To me, it's much better if younger generations start their conscious lives with God's word as the moral compass. If later they decide they need no God and church in their lives - it's perfectly fine, hopefully, morals and higher ideals have taken good root already. But if we bear children into the world of moral grayness and nihilism in the hope that they somehow figure it all out by themselves or learn from their role models, I'm afraid, we might end up as gangs and clans fighting one another for power and resources, altruistic only to the people 'within' and merciless towards 'outsiders'.
I studied philosophy at University and really loved that. My final work was about Nietzsche’s view towards the Greek Tragedy. My second year at University I had Medieval Philosophers… at that time I forced an approach to the Church and enjoyed, some year later I left. What I can say is my time close to Christian Religion built something important that I praise.
This is what I do. Of course I get criticised incessantly for it by people but I don’t care. Society is sick, and worse, banal and mundane. I don’t care for it.
That's about where I'm at, for the five years or so I have stopped dating and most socialising. I'm becoming reclusive. I find people's desires overwhelming, their yearning for material wealth and status begins to get me down very quickly. If I keep a distance from that and concentrate on my craft and interests I find calm and emotional peace.
@@jimdavis8391I hit that point in life in the past, and I sometimes wonder if I'll hit it again later on as well.. however, having a chill friend, partner, or family member does make a world of difference. Someone to share life with. May just be more difficult for people to find in the modern world, but it does exist. ❤
I find myself constantly torn during these times. My parents were and still are devout Christians. They managed to do decently well for themselves and their faith is unshakable. Yet even though I tried to follow in the same, going to church, prayer and such, my life has been far from a success. Nowadays I feel like it was all an illusion, wasted time. I can't seem to find an audience in God and it has filled me with bitterness and hate. I know quite a few atheists who have done far better than me, and it's only made me more bitter. Why pray to a god that never answers you? I don't think I'll ever find the answers. But for those who were given the rewards for belief, I won't lash out at them, or try to push others not to believe. If it works for you great, but it doesn't work for everyone. Some of us are just eternally screwed, and I guess it is what it is.
u believe a guy came back to life 2000 years ago bc ur parents told u so ur in control of ur own life just like ur parents were if ur a failure it’s not jesus fault 💀
I follow Albert Camus' existentialism - it liberated me from moral dilemmas and questions about my religion and moral code. The gist of what I understood is that the absurdity of existing is mindboggling, yet we are called to make choices that either way will yield absurd results. The only way to make a 'meaningful' living is to choose amongst the absurd that which is productive, joyful and liberating. In the quote "one must imagine Sisyphus happy," Camus is suggesting that even in the face of a seemingly meaningless and endless task, we can find happiness by accepting our circumstances and embracing our own freedom to choose how we respond to them. If you ever feel life is meaningless, it is not. Its what we choose to make out of it.
@@iamshebeeloloindigenous I'am not really wishing for anything. Just stating cold hard facts. P.S. to experienced, to old, to realistic to believe in romanticism like "the kingdom is within you". Just been around the block, and seen far far too much to hold stock in that.. Been around longer than you, obvoiusly... Very well then, Peace to you right back...
A great source (among others) of meaning and beauty for me has been working on the land, including my own version of gardening involving ponds and beehives. Since feeling connected to the land is a central prerequisite (because you would not care to improve land that does not belong now and forever to you or your family), I realize that this is not a very accessible hobby or source of meaning, especially as the world becomes increasingly urbanized.
I grew up a Christian and an a scientist. Having explored many ways of thinking, I don’t believe that we need to fear God to be kind, forgiving or living. There’s many aspects of life that are important that don’t need religion to exist. However, there is something powerful in the idea of faith; that there is a positive and loving being that sees the greater picture and asks us to not worry, but instead see the value in persistence and consistency, regardless of circumstance.
"That which does not kill us, makes us crippled." "That which does not kill us makes us immoral." "That which does not kill us, makes us discouraged." Oh, wait ... I got it. "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."
This nuanced take is one of the reasons I respected Nietzsche so much after reading him. Able to perceive the truth but honest enough to admit the existential dangers of stripping away the lie upon which civilization is built.
not nuanced enough. maybe for his time. many things can be seen as a religious structure (or believe system) such as nationality(culture), law, money systems the following of Apple and what not. mindless following was prelevent in Hitlers Third Reich for example. Any group of people may be described as a cult when you only think in extremes and that's what unnuanced thinking is.
I lived that way for 10years after originally being raised christian but as an atheist I went down a deep hole of depression and addiction, resigning the world (pain) and not having any meaning of life. I now found my peace in buddhism and meditation and it was the main factor for my rehab, for giving up drugs and wanting to live and help others instead of escaping reality. I still struggle with my past/demons of course but I now feel happy, my life has meaning and I can truely love myself and others.
@@farinthefuture2178 As an Atheist I have been there. I found my hope in my goals/dreams. That's what keeps me away from alcohol/drugs and keeps me going. I have always struggled with depression since i was a kid which I had even as a Christian back when i had more support and a god to talk to etc. I just know I can't be fake and to keep my eyes on my future of what I will do and where I will go.
Brother please bring more of Buddhist philosophical videos on this channel. I love your interpretations of the Dhammapada and it really inspires me to be someone great. Hope so you'll consider this request from a younger brother from India ❤
In my experience 'finding purpose' and 'finding meaning' is an endless search without ending. Asking myself 'what do I enjoy' has helped a lot. I enjoy making music on drums within a club. Also walking/hiking in nature with friends or alone, I enjoy so much. When I enjoy something to the fullest, the meaning and purpose are not important to me.
I’ve been in different for most of my life and didn’t care about much. Through that indifference I was able to find something to care about. I’ve been able to pick up illustration and decided to create children’s books. Am I rich, not at all, not even close. But I am fulfilled, it gives me meaning, enough to continue to push forward. Best of luck to you finding your why.
Hey man, great channel and wonderful episode as always. I really dig your stuff. It looks like we are on the same Journey as I see you creating great videos on stoicism, taoism and other philosophies/philosophers. I always loved reading, but I never felt like I had the time while I was working and raising a family, but now that I'm retired, I have taken it up again and have been reading about all of the major philosophies and religions. I started with Stoicism, really got into it and then wondered what else was out there, so I went to Buddhism, then Taoism and now Hinduism (this is the one George Harrison got into...). Of all of them, I think Stoicism is the most practical, Buddhism is the most straightforward, Hinduism attracted George Harrison, so there's got to be something there, and Taoism is an incomprehensible tangle of opposites that don't make much sense to me, so I decided to "study/not study it"... I blame myself for not really understanding Taoism. Lao Tzu seemed to have his s*** together, and it has been practiced and adored for thousands of years, so I figure I'm in the wrong. I will watch some of your videos on the topic to brush up... And now on to my question... Wondering if you have ever watched Jordan Peterson's "Philosophical Significance of the Biblical Stories" lectures? If you haven't, you should. It's a series of 16, 2-1/2 hour lectures on Genesis and how relates to psychological concepts and ideas. Absolutely fascinating. Peterson seems to be very well read on all of these philosophies and religions and weaves various concepts and ideas throughout his lectures on the biblical stories. Also, I think he's the smartest man on the planet, with the possible exception of Elon Musk.... Sorry for the short novel here in your comments section. My last name isn't even Dickens... Keep up the great work.
1) Life doesn't have intrinsic meaning hence we first need to stop seeking meaning. 2) The spiritual healthy human being doesn't need any institution in order to act virtuously. 3) We should acknowledge our most embedded fear: the fear of death. Only then we'll stop fearing life and will be able to focus on how to live according to nature. Forgive my presumption: after all, I'm just a human being 😏
He ignores a suicidal birthrate. So while one can wallow in the idea of finding 'meaning' in one's life - it ultimately is quite pointless. The Dutch may laugh at religion - but in the end, their laughter will echo quite ironically when there are no more indigenous Dutch. Not that far away mathematically - and a certainty I may add.
I do not subscribe to organized religion as I believe it is contributing to Godlessness, but I was living on the streets homeless for 8 years and grew up in a horribly abusive family and I know I wouldn't be where I am today without the Lord. He literally sent angels to save my life. I follow the gospel of Jesus Christ. My life was vastly improved when I accepted the Lord and was baptized by an ex-felon-turned pastor. Is my life perfect? No. But I have finally felt true happiness and for the first time in my life I like myself and I have hope and contentment and I owe it all to trusting in the Lord. Don't give up. Keep fighting the good fight. ✝️❤️
This video finds me in a very special moment. I was just thinking about this a few days ago, both the idea of the declining of western society moral and values and how Nietzsche saw it coming. I believe that some day in the future, there will be a huge revolution related to this. I don't know if it will be the birth of a new form of religion, based on defending these principles, or a revival of Christianity as a response to how the Islam is changing the world nowadays.
we think of psychology in terms of cure, but It is also concerned with building mental strength. I think this is what human needs, a bigger psychological muscle, many people can't even engage in a proper civilized argument, this is a skill, and it should be basic, but many lack it even in adulthood
It's a necessary and healthy systemic shift for every society. Doing good not because you are afraid of consequences or because some book told you so, but because you feel this is the right way. There is no guidance and it makes it harder, and it's normal. A human is not a microwave and does not come with a manual.
I was once in a public house, having a conversation with an old man. He asked me what religion I was, I said that I was an atheist. He then said, then I must be evil. I then said, well! if I am, I have not had the need to make use of up to now. true story.
'Must be evil' is one hell of a shortcut to thinking and trying to understand the human condition. It's why there's a universe-sized gulf between the religious and non-religious, and always will be. Good for you to suppress your evil tendencies, that's nice self-control until it's time for it to be unleashed on a world of sheep.
Some people search for their special purpose/meaning all their lives and it brings them so much pain. I would suggest that our meaning is simply existence. Our acts absolutely have meaning, but to think each of us has some fated purpose is an ego filled delusion. Letting go of that is quite freeing.
@@dharmaqueen7877 you're saying that no one is to blame for the problems in this world. basically only the very own individuals fault, anything else are external scapegoats. I'd rather focus on the self reflecting, numb emotion which argues that the perceived awareness of the lack of sustainability induced by the desire to win and be above any idiot, fogged with media, which is by the way the main culprit of blaming young people (satisfaction in indulgence by older readers in pleasing themselves) in the past vs. today. Naming it the same is insane.
@@kip4223I believe he’s stating quite the opposite, which I tend to agree. The younger generations haven’t fixed it, though some effort is happening. We let ourselves be divided on other issues rather than solving the issues that are most important, meanwhile the older generations created the problem and only want to escape responsibility as they continue towing the same things, and they teach their children to be the same
Thank you. I had only heard bits and pieces of Nietzsche so I thought nearly the opposite of him. I appreciate not wanting the „sheep-like“ slavery to religion but, being interested in the spirit beneath us all…I feel a little lonely in these times
Often times I find many in the west without religion simply channel that sheepness into other things with similar concepts, and build the state into their god as it is the state now completely enforcing the ideology. There is no other worldly hell you can be threatened with and so they try to make your mortal life hell.
Tbh. This is also just a piece of Nietzsche's work. Someone said, you can dis-proof Nietzsche with Nietzsche. He wrote a lot and had to say something to many topics. Nietzsche is a rabbit hole. ^^ I found a quote that sums up what I think Nietzsche's work describes the best. It is not from him, but said by a Nietzsche figure in a theatrical play. "Nihilism is a vast and endless abyss. My work is a thin rope you can stretch to the other side and learn to dance across in joy."
I highly appreciate Nz because he provides us with thought experiments. And it has been a great help with considering our human nature. He's planting seeds of freedom in minds. We choose to rise to the light. Nz uses the dichotomy.
For someone to need religion to be a good person is a scary thought... Think about how many people actually want to do horrible things, but having faith in God is the only thing stopping them
What a fantastic theory. Really made me think honestly. For me and my beliefs I am religious but not traditionally. I have tried to be a Christian but sometimes it doesn't hold at all (and my actions do not reflect my intentions). However, I don't believe things will ever just end because of a variable that gave meaning to people centuries ago. Things change, they always have changed. People change. There is something higher than us for sure. Faith is real. But I think we don't quite understand it. I would even say that perhaps people in past millennia were much wiser regarding the question of faith because they weren't as distracted as we are. Let things be quite. Let yourself be alone. Listen. Be humble and listen. Maybe you'll hear something. Again, great vid and thank you for making it.
I think Nietzsche is perceived in different ways than he was, and what he also could have meant with what he said. Glad you used the more full quote of what he said, and not just "God is dead" from The Gay Science. For me his reference towards religions goes mainly towards Christianity - this was the theology he studied, the culture he that was dominant in his life. Yes he was a theologian first. He was also a Dionysian. So he did "worship" a "God" Dionysus. Secularism is not viewed as a religion but the first humanitarian manifest did compare itself, and label itself as a religion. And here is part of the problem; what is a religion, what does the word mean, and what is the narration forced upon this word: Religion? We think we are talking witht the same words and meanings but often people are not.
@@TheDionysianFields Words, interpertations, true I can't speak for him and there is no direct information or quote. Nietzsche first studied theology, Nietzsche's The Gay Science Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedies; introducing Apollonian and Dionysian. Nietzsche's view/interpretations on nihilism. Such a tragic insight into the nature of things can stimulate what Nietzsche called a “Dionysian affirmation of life” - a complete affirmation of the totality of being where the negative and destructive elements are not slandered, explained away, or rejected, but seen as a necessary component of the good, the true, and the beautiful, and therefore as ultimately desirable. This was what he had, call it world view, call it life philosophy, call it worship. Also at that time religion and church was still the target of getting out from under its yoke. The Chruch represented Apollonian principles in that dominant view. The order of the reality of society, the common people
@@schiffelers3944 It pains me to say this but Nietzsche may have overcompensated in the way that Ayn Rand overcompensated in her crusade against collectivism (to the tune of laissez faire capitalism). I, too, am disgusted by the hyper-rational "Apollonian" world we know today, but I don't see Apollo as being life-negating. Remember that he once chased a mortal girl to the ends of the Earth and loved her even after she turned into a tree. That seems pretty erotic (life-affirming) to me. Also, rational thought is a great tool for human progress, whereas the Dionysian existence can readily devolve into the quasi-hedonism we see in many subcultures. It's really a question of baby vs. bathwater, and it seems that we've opted for the bathwater in both cases. A pity.
@@TheDionysianFields We could also state that Dionysus was more than just chaos and dis-order. But in this Apollonian vs Dionysian is a little different than literal Apolo and Dionysus/Bacchus. The view is than chaos promotes birth as order promoted restictions. Like the Catholic Church in his analogy with this. The same can happen with Apolonian - That is why context are important. The Abrahamic God's might be the same in theory but not so much in the religious practices. I am not opting for bathwater. Enlightenment and rational thought, we need emotions for decision making. There needs to be a balance, life is not just black or white, and if it is both it is gray. Or we use a color vision on the analogy but then we have 3 primary colors RYB, 3 secondary OGP colors and then 6 tertiary colors R-O Y-O, Y-G B-G, R-P B-P, quarternary colors are infinite. Like numbers and math, and Pythagoreanism. Or geometry and "kabbalah" of scared geometry. 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34-55-89-... Fibonacci sequence, and sacred proportions; Phi and the Golden ratio. The world and real life is a matrix, but not so much just a computer/technological simulation. But more a natural and social matrix.
@@schiffelers3944 We certainly need a balance but what I'm saying is that each of them have both positive AND negative (shadow) aspects, and that it seems the world is working the negative side of both Apollo and Dionysus. Anyway, I do agree that Dionysus is underrepresented and I'm all for a world with more nuance and dynamism...as long as it doesn't lose its capacity for reason.
So many people nowadays only seek to become richer or famous or physically/sexually attractive but none of these could ever compare to the freedom of having a unqiue self-identity and being able to think independently andd critically an ability which seems to have become very scarce in this world's human-society, having gone through multiple Dark Night of the Souls and having become something of an anti-nihilist and omnist (someone who claims no religion, practice or belief but finds truth in them all) who agrees with what Nietzsche had said, has helped me remember to regain and cherish this ability, even though it sometimes made me feel more afraid of losing my individuality and becoming just another faceless wage-slave in this power/money/fame-hungry, capitalistic and superficial/narrow-minded consumerist empire, I'd rather die young to ever prevent that from happening even if I end up disappointing so many people around me. Both either too much or too little religion (or spirituality though it may be albeit somewhat related to religion) in our daily lives.
I always love how Einzelgänger's videos make my day. Sometimes they get me really motivated, other times they make me feel angry, sad or just content... But anyway, I still have hope and believe in humanity. I know there are still real, genuine people out there with purpose and values even in today's world.
Three things Nietzsche did not understand: 1. Moral psychology shows that we’re moral because we’re human, not because of religion or moral philosophy. 2. The search for “greatness” is fundamentally egotistical and frequently destructive; it’s perfectly fine for life to simply be about living, not some “higher purpose.” 3. It’s ok for people to find meaning in a wide variety of pursuits, even if some choose to find it in things that seem absurd to us. There’s no need for everyone to agree on one central concept of what is meaningful.
Yes I go to festivals as pilgrimage and I'm Dutch. If you ask me, the meaning of life is to give it life ourselves. By being kind, grateful and be the best version of ourselves we can be.
Radio Netherlands broadcasting from Hilversum was also one of the short-wave stations I listened to on my 📻 in the 90's. Most countries have stopped short-wave services. Yahoo shut down Yahoo Messenger. These were integral parts of my life. Both gone. I live by myself at 47 years of age. Thank you for reading me.
A (religious) friend once said to me "if it wasn't for religion, men would be at each others' throats", but I (being agnostic) replied "no, it's exactly BECAUSE of religion that men are at each others' throats". Religion is just an early form of governance (the precursor to political rule), to indoctrinate the masses by coercing them into submission and obeying their 'leaders', using a campaign of fear - nothing more. If humanity was wiped out, then returned in, say, 50 thousand years' time, none of today's religions would exist, only the laws of nature, science and mathematics.
At the moment my personal belief is that we don't necessarily need religion. Instead, we all have a 'church' within us. As long as we believe that there is a greater power guiding our life's path and that there are certain things we cannot control, all we need to do is follow our intuition to live and love other beings as equals.
I too, believe that the actual problem was not the death of religion, but the absence of a suitable framework to replace it. The ethics and morals that we once derived from religion, and which were almost same for all people, have now been replaced with subjective and individualistic values, and the biggest problem is that even then, the "slave morality", as Nietzsche called it, has not gone entirely but just changed hands. People are now slaves of the government, their own hedonistic tendencies, media etc., and this has led to a kind of Orwellian doublethink where people subconsciously believe in objective, almost cult-like behaviour, but on the outside proclaim themselves as subjective rational thinkers. Not to say that I'm free of it, but the first step in overcoming it is of acknowledgement. When we realise the inconsistencies in our thinking, only then can they be effectively addressed. To anyone who read this far, I'd like to hear your opinion on this too, and here's a cake 🍰.
I think it's very important in these discussions to contrast personal meaning and grand (or universal) meaning. Also, we need to get over the idea that meaning is an absolute necessity to live life. The church gave us grand meaning. Yes, it was a cohesive force, but I think people have figured out that much of it was thought up by mortal men whose vision really isn't any better than your own. I remember when I was young there were people at church who claimed they knew the grand meaning, and that I could find it too, but after much mental wrestling, at 64, I now think both were lies. I'm relieved to let the grand meaning be the concern of whatever grand power is out there. Personal meaning is something you build yourself, and no one cares about it besides yourself and your close friends. You're one of billions. You're likely NOT going to share meaning with a rice farmer on the other side of the globe. Personal meaning is a pre-fabricated ideal equation that you try to cram yourself into. Sometimes the equation is selfless and noble. Oftentimes it is vain. While it can propel one through life, I think for many it is a straightjacket. To always be clawing for meaning is a self-centered pursuit-- an act that in itself leads to perpetual dissatisfaction. People who let go and remain fluid are often happier.
There isn't a grand meaning, but meaning certainly is important. Life is hell a lot of the time. If your aim is to just be "happy" then you are going to be disappointed a lot of the time. Slaving away 9-5 five days a week, cleaning, paying taxes, shopping for mundane things. If you can find some sort of meaning that makes the inevitable suffering and mundanity of being worth bearing, you will have a better life.
Appreciating & dabbling in different religions has been a great launchpad to my own personal spiritual journey. So far, its been a phenomenal trip that will likely never end.
Great video essay as usual. I have since a very long time abandoned following religion. (raised as a christian) I do howevr kept faith in me. I think one of our biggest problems today is not lack of religion but lack of faith, in believing in something greater or divine. We in the west have become obsessed with material things, or things that hold no real spiritual value. I pray everyday and I used many of the religions techings as guidance to do what is good, to kep myself grounded and humble. I believe that not a lot of people understand this, that having faith is not attached to having a religion, but without a moral compass we do seem to have become very mpty of any meaning or purpoise. A jump into the abyss of nihilism.
Why do you pray, and to whom do you pray? Do you expect your prayers to be answered; that the cosmos considers any human plea of importance? I do not have faith in metaphysics. But I have _trust_ instead. I _trust_ my family & friends know that Iove them. I _truat_ that I'll be able to handle whatever comes. I _trust_ that, maybe, our efforts are not in vain. I trust in what is likely true, and work towards that.
Freedom is an inside game. Realize that there is nothing that you have to do and you'll be free. It matters not what the people who make up "society" say.
The atrocities committed in the name of religion or in spite of it, are too long to list. The hard truth that no one wants to see... ultimately, man is man... with or without religion.
@@NERGYStudios Negative. I have intimate first hand experiences with "regular" people of faith serially compromising their moral code for either personal benefit or in an "ends justify the means" sort of paradigm. These "sole representatives" you speak of are merely magnifications of the same by virtue of their power and influence.
"Thou shalt be judged by thy faith but by thy actions" In my opinion as an agnostic, the best view to have about religion regardless of which one you believe in or stop believing in for that matter.
Depression is an economic problem on two counts: 1) most people work for their employer's purpose rather than their own, in increasingly redundant niches as technology gradually replaces us, providing less and less feeling of agency to make an active, positive difference to the wider world. 2) we do this simply to prop ourselves up in a small day-to-day monotony to earn small pleasures beyond your own basic needs if we can, without this process having any connection to others or any wider community i.e. Individualism.
I think that if the majority of people can move their need for meaning into the phrase 'the world should always be a better place because a man has lived' we can make this work. If we can find our divine in the earth beneath our feet and our fellow human beings and make our purpose serving and nurturing all those around us then we can make this world a better place.
Humans need to be on the same page. We all need a common goal. We have the resources to try to alleviate human suffering and promote creativity and innovation. I don't see why that isn't our goal.
@@dharmaqueen7877Nietzsche had a mental breakdown in 1889 and spent the last 11 years of his life in the care of an asylum and his family, so, no, he never really had a chance to do that
@macdonald2k I’m not criticizing Nietzsche or his works. I simply made a specific reply to another commenter who seemed curious about the manner of his death
@@dharmaqueen7877 Well he wrote that his project was the revaluation of all values. He quit his position as a university professor and travelled around Europe to climates that would alleviate his symptoms. He focused exclusively on his work and produced works of genius. He suffered from debilitating migraines depression and suicidal thoughts. His doctors told him to stop working so hard as he was risking going blind. The most productive years of his life were his last three as his health was deteriorating. The guy was going 100 miles per hour on to a brick wall accelerating towards the end. Maybe your talk is the cheap one kid.
I don't care about struggles, the only struggle we have - death, everything else can be overcomed, humans are capable of a lot of things and i believe that scientists and other people can deal with any problems, the only problem we have is how to invent immortality and made it accessible for everyone, i don't know, maybe other people want to die, but i personally cherish my mind, that's the only thing i have and i don't want to lose it for ever, i don't want to disappear into eternal nothingness, i don't want to lose my self-awareness, i don't want to lose my ability to experience anything, be it my eyes, be it my ears, be it my mouth, be it my skin or emotions/feelings, i don't want to die, i want to exist, i want to live, i have a terrible life and i'm suffering but i don't want to die, that's the only thing i have, and honestly, i'm really unable to comprehend how you're not scared of non-existence and how you're not rejecting it.
To be fair, Nietzsche just predicted the "Faustian World" we live in now. We depend on our technologies so much that we have been stained by them. We traded our soul, i.e our spiritual link with the world, for cheap short bursts of frugal happiness. And we are so desperately attached to them that our very existence begins to plummet inside it. I do not have any social media to speak of, and only use youtube. I do know of my dire "connection" problem with people, be that of work or relationships, as all people have migrated to the new church of social media. However, being a millennial, I can notice how every topic my group of friends is mediated by social media. How their opinions are molded by social media. And how their memories are not from the experiences they have seen, but what they posted. By opening the immense pandora box of social media. We have become the short man. We made our world incredibly little. So tiny in fact that our existence is meaningless.
I've been following your teachings for a long time that's why I'm saying I have faith that you have a solution to what you're saying you're not just saying the problem
I don't think that depression rising in the younger generations is solely contributed to a religious decline, and maybe this wasn't the point of that statement but it seemed implied to me, I think rather the couple of factors that attribute to this rise could more realistically be that depression is more understood and defined in both children and adults, as well as the general public being more aware and valuing mental health, so that is my first reason why that may be the case, because it is easier to define and recognize and we have more poeple actually looking for it and wanting to detect it, the second is regardless of a religious position, we are more aware of global problems and suffering than we have been before, on top of that, discovering these truths can be crushing or depressing to a young growing mind, especially when a mind is developing under this information where personality is being formed, for example, many say we are all going to die or the world is ending, for one reason or another, and being ignorant of any other more positive information can lead to a sense of nihilism from the fact that bad news is shared more often, better, and louder in our world today whether it be for attention or monetary gains, I say that these reasons probably go hand in hand with the current rise of a negative outlook, but not all of it is true or accurate For example, poeple have been saying the world is going to end since antiquity, they have been wrong for antiquity, this is not to say it is not possible, and it's a fair objection to say that trends and data cannot predict the future and only reference the past, but a lot of current ideas do not hold up to world ending scenarios Ai is not developed enough to hurt us, it is far from that and ChatGPT is too expensive to run anyway, there are too many people scared with it for it to get powerful, currently the best ai are ones that are task specific, as a general intelligence is not that intelligent, especially in a business sense Climate change is probably going to millions if not billions of people, and it's not my place to say who gets to die, but it is not an existential threat because climate change will not exterminate every human, life will go on, however it is to note that underdeveloped countries will probably fall into collaspe, like I said, devastating but not absolute We know what astroroids are in our solar system, at least the majority, and especially the larger ones that could pose a threat, but none do Nuclear threats are serious, but not a problem, at least for most countries, I think this falls under tye same conditions between asteroids and climate change, where if it did I don't think we would go extinct, but currently political pressure keeps anyone from using them, the most belligerent is north Korean for sure, but they have 1, and it is used as a invasion detterent and pinternal political power projection than anything else Biological threats are not that severe anymore, especially with the science we have, if their was an extinction possibility from a disease, it would have to be literally the perfect match of spreading and killing every host it infects (which is not what a disease wants to do to survive or multiply) and it would have to combat the global effort in fighting it, which covid-19 was sought out and explored more throughly and faster than any disease before it given the technology and people we have today Also what's so bad about nihilism? I have many existential nihilistic frameworks but I'm not breaking down? Can't you just be an optimistic nihilistic for a change? Everyone talks about the mainstream nihilism and stereotype, but this is what happens when you do it wrong in my opinion, with nihilism you get more freedom in thought,and your actions, but it doesn't have to mean that one's sense of self and morality is thrown out the window! I love nietche, and I understand his concerns you laid in the video, but I think the problem is developing before that sense of nihilism is hit honestly, I don't think that it bad to find out your values are abstractions, or even foundationless, that is a good thing, it is more truthful, the problem is that a person is being raised in a world that tells them that meaning is valuable in the first place, so when it is challenged and ultimately destroyed, that's where this sense of fragility and depression may strive from, not the fact that it is sad that what one thought is wrong and they based that for their life choices and other values, no, it's more sad that this assumption was drilled into them, but never being truly tested, and even sadder that one may not even get the chance to challenge this belief authentically, you talked about the slave mentality, but I recognize a slave to an assumption that infected society, and the individual, I am challenging that we don't need meaning to do great things, meaninglessness does not take away the facts of our world, pointlessness doesn't take away the happiness unless you were raised to think that happy things must have a point or be a point in themselves, it is absurd to me But maybe I'm wrong, idk
I think the best route for modern western society is a return to ancient philosophy like Epicureanism and Stoicism. Humanity flourished prior to monotheism and we are perfectly capable of doing after its decline.
Throwing in this perspective, I would argue that we have replaced God with the Market. Instead of asking what would Jesus/religious figure would do, the new question is how will the market react?
just because you choose not to believe in religion doesn't mean you quit being kind person that wants to help humanity. I've seen a lot of religious Christians who are terrible people who think otherwise because they believe in a book about doing good.
Exactly. To say that religion unites different nationalities who don’t even speak the same language dismisses the basis of their unity. Religious groups never practice unconditional love and acceptance. They unite to judge and punish those who don’t adhere to their faith and rules, and has been the cause of violence and oppression throughout the world. We can have morals without it, and are better off.
I was raised with religion, then became an athiest for over a decade, then science brought me back to a creator. The problem of modern society is isolation and the difficulty of establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships as each person drifts in and out. There is nothing concrete you can count on. That’s why a well adjusted, normal family that is supportive is so important.
Humanity is constantly progressing and evolving. Abandoning religion is just another step. Any Nihilism that may result is just a temporary phase that must be passed through on the path of our collective potential. On an individual basis, there are many for whom religion offers no comfort or answers. Keep asking questions and eventually you are told you need to just choose to believe it, even if it doesn’t make sense.
I think meaning starts with accepting that human beings are weird animals with a lot of conflicting emotions. If we all accept this weirdness we can accept ourselves. At the same time i think everybody feels a connection with nature when they spend time there, this bond predates religion. Finally, sharint your true feelings and emotions with the people around you invites them to also open up leading to deeper connection. I think these three pillars: accepting our weirdness/conflicted emotions, opening up to others and spending time in nature are what brings sufficient meaning. All other things are distractions, not necessarily a bad thing but they should not neglect/hide the three pillars. I for one really enjoy listening to music (as it triggers different emotions) and working out (again, this triggers different emotions, especially running/mtb in the woods)
Nietzsche was hopeful, man.
The point was not the catastrophe, which he saw as a necessary danger.
The point was overcoming nihilism by finding a source of creativity and valuation within oneself.
Since first reading Nietzsche on nihilism in 1976 I've been following his prophecies as lived hypotheses through 50+ jobs, 37 states and 13 countries. He was absolutely correct.
And if you don't like the way things are going now, just wait awhile.
Here's the most relevant passage, near the end of the 1967 Kaufman edition of "Will To Power":
“What I relate is the history of the next two centuries. I describe what is coming, what can no longer come differently: the advent of nihilism!
Nihilism stands at the door: whence comes this uncanniest of all guests?
1. Point of departure: it is an error to consider 'social distress' or 'physiological degeneration' or, worse, corruption, as the cause of nihilism. Ours is the most decent and compassionate age. Distress, whether of the soul, body, or intellect, cannot of itself give birth to nihilism (i.e., the radical repudiation of value, meaning, and desirability). Such distress always permits a variety of interpretations. Rather: it is in one particular interpretation, the Christian-moral one, that nihilism is rooted.
2. The end of Christianity-at the hands of its own morality (which cannot be replaced), which turns against the Christian God (the sense of truthfulness, developed highly by Christianity, is nauseated by the falseness and mendaciousness of all Christian interpretations of the world and of history; rebound from 'God is truth' to the fanatical faith 'All is false'; a Buddhism of inaction).
3. Skepticism regarding morality is what is decisive. The end of the moral interpretation of the world, which no longer has any sanction after it has tried to escape into some beyond, leads to nihilism. 'Everything lacks meaning' (the untenability of one interpretation of the world, upon which a tremendous amount of energy has been lavished, awakens the suspicion that all interpretations of the world are false). Buddhistic tendency, a kind of yearning for Nothing. (Indian Buddhism is not the culmination of a thoroughly moralistic development; its nihilism is therefore full of morality that is not overcome: existence as punishment, existence construed as error, error thus as a punishment- is a moral valuation.)
4. Philosophical attempts to overcome the 'moral God' (Hegel, pantheism).
Overcoming popular ideals: the sage; the saint; the poet.
The antagonism of 'true' and 'beautiful' and 'good'."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche (1888)
Nietzsche was correct indeed. People have to find their own purpose in life, but I hear that so many are without it at the moment. "Figuring things out for yourself is the only freedom anyone really has. Use that freedom. Make up your own mind...". Society nowadays doesn't make it easy though, and I truly feel for the youths out there trying to find identity in such a shit show.
Slightly ironic you use a quote from a Hollywood hypnosis production of a military man. Good film though.
I reckon there is a correlation with lack of identity and the ability of the youth to see the night sky unencumbered. When you can see the full night sky, you remember.
@@shrunkensimon thats so well said!
Finding my own way of living, that kind of freedom is the scary thing. But I must try
Freedom means there are unforseen consequences that comes with freedom
In this regard Nietzsche was correct. I agree
@@CBRN-115
With purified intent & bravery, I'd say the consequences will likely be favorable. All the best on your journey.
I was outside of organized religion for a long time. Searching for answers led me into Eastern Orthodoxy, and I am very happy here.
Eastern Orthodoxy is definitely the least contaminated by secular ideology from all Christian denominations.
Yes, "find your own meaning" ends up with most people finding hedonism instead. That's why religion is fundamental for life direction and objective morality.
Drowning in moral poverty is so real. With the way social media and news constantly expose us to the worst parts of life we've had to become somewhat desensitised
It's not really helped that the economic environment around social media also incentives this moral poverty.
@@SleepyMatt-zzz I agree but will you expand on that, in which way are you referring to?
@@pixiebomb28onlyfans
@@pixiebomb28 Content that is shocking or provocative generates more clicks, views and comments; thus, anyone looking to make a profit will find that it is easier to push that type of content in order achieve their goal quicker.
Nope. You did not need to become desensitized you CHOOSE to immerse yourself in social media.
After my divorce 2 years ago- I believed my life as a father was over way to short. But my two teenage sons, that live with me 100% of the time… my life as a single father has been amazing. My focus is getting the youngest one finished with high school. My oldest is in mechanic trade school. He has always loved working on cars.
❤️🙏🏾
Hope your family stay ever strong and together.
According to PEW Research Center 85% of parents find the greatest sense of meaning, by a Long shot, in their Children. Other studies show that the more children a woman has, the lower her chance of suicide. This all makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, everything we are today we evolved to be because it helped our children survive, and our infants take an enormous amount of work to keep alive for a longer time than any other species! And it would have been even harder in pre-historic times. If our pre-historic ancestors didn't get positive feelings out of supporting and raising their children, they wouldn't have put the work in and we would have died out. We can now avoid the work required through contraceptives and abortions without realizing it's actually what we need.
Respect❤
Good luck on his mechanic journey through
So many are replacing religion with faith in government and related institutions which is unfortunate because this often involves forcing your beliefs on others.
Not very clever those one obviously
Yes. No better than the religions that they despised.
@@forgottensage-o5o I'd say even worse since most religions don't coerce down the barrel of a weapon.
Many are replacing their need for a God with money, fame, stars, sports, etc. This is much worse.
That worked really well last century
Even as a child, when I lacked for nothing, I wanted to die : I wanted to surrender because I saw no sense in struggling. I felt that nothing would be proved, substantiated, added or subtracted by continuing an existence which I had not asked for.
- Henry Miller
“I don't believe in God. Can you understand that? Look around you man. Cant you see? The clamor and din of those in torment has to be the sound most pleasing to his ear. And I loathe these discussions. The argument of the village atheist whose single passion is to revile endlessly that which he denies the existence of in the first place. Your fellowship is a fellowship of pain and nothing more. And if that pain were actually collective instead of simply reiterative then the sheer weight of it would drag the world from the walls of the universe and send it crashing and burning through whatever night it might yet be capable of engendering until it was not even ash. And justice? Brotherhood? Eternal life? Good god, man. Show me a religion that prepares one for death. For nothingness. There's a church I might enter. Yours prepares one only for more life. For dreams and illusions and lies. If you could banish the fear of death from men's hearts they wouldnt live a day. Who would want this nightmare if not for fear of the next? The shadow of the axe hangs over every joy. Every road ends in death. Or worse. Every friendship. Every love. Torment, betrayal, loss, suffering, pain, age, indignity, and hideous lingering illness. All with a single conclusion. For you and for every one and everything that you have chosen to care for. There's the true brotherhood. The true fellowship. And everyone is a member for life. You tell me that my brother is my salvation? My salvation? Well then damn him. Damn him in every shape and form and guise. Do I see myself in him? Yes. I do. And what I see sickens me. Do you understand me? Can you understand me?”
― Cormac McCarthy, The Sunset Limited
Nothing can better assure you to live than a real possibility to die. Here in Ukraine we live every day with a joy being under attacks so.
Lose ur life a few times and then know how sweet life is. ❤ To me one breathe is worth it. There is only one person who can be me. So I do me with great humility. One chance to have one breathe.
It seems that he needed to get a job or do something productive. He was probably some bored, priviledged westerner with too much time on His hands! Some bohemian i.diot!
However it is noteworthy that humans have shown God the door in every aspect of life but then wonder all incredulously 'where He is' whenever a calamity happens. Apparently we think He should still loiter around even after being expelled -- just in case. It also shows we mere mortals still retain an inherent sense of right and wrong -- while simultaneously still attempting to believe that there's absolutely no Divine intelligence to attribute or it to, or from which it naturally comes. We're an odd, rebellious bunch, aren't we?
I was born in a Muslim family and society. I used to pray 5 times a day, reading Quran almost everyday, reading Islamic books since my childhood. And while doing that I wasn't convinced. I read a lot of things that made me questioned why is that? How? It's not logic?
But I was scared to ask these questions to elder people.
So in 14 y.o, I started reading books about history, Arab people before Islam, Mohammed's life, also books about other religions, philosophy, science ect... I also followed Twitter accounts that criticize Islam and Christianity ect. After doing that for 4 years, I ended up leaving Islam and not believing in any religion.
And I think that made me a rational objective person, the hate in my heart had disappear. Like I was raised that my religion is the only right one and everyone else will go to hell. So i kinda hated christians and thought that they're stupid also Hindu and ahh our greatest enemy Jews people. So now I don't hate anyone. I think everyone is right and wrong at the same time. I also think that no one have the definitive truth.
I think that I become smarter like I used to believe any information without thinking.
About my morals, I become much more kinder tbh, because helping people makes me happy, I don't do it because God said so, but because I feel so. I hurt no one. And I become a much more opened person.
I think that religion is a confort zone for many people. They're scared to think, and they will ask their God for help. It helps them relax. And nothing wrong with that. But religious people also need to create their own path to think.
My morals get influenced by many philosophers especially Epicurus and Buddha. And my life become less stress. There's no Jin wants to hurt me, and I don't have to blame evil for my mistakes, I blame myself.
The problem of people leaving religions is that they follow short happiness. If people follow philosophy and science, I will be less violence and hate. Even religion makes you hate other people and selfish. Back in the history the main reason of wars was religion
Congratulations, and thanks for sharing your story of growth.
You reacted in the best possible way, but others going through the same process could indeed choose a path of selfishness, greed, materialistic nihilism, etc. with the same journey. No easy answers all around.
@@MVProfits yeah, but sometimes I be like I wish I didn't know all this stuff. Like my mind is tired of that. At least religious people live a simple life and have someone they go to when they feel sad. Not like us.
You are a treasure for humanity. This is the path people should follow to obtain peace.
@@llandolci yep, that's true as well. I'm agnostic you might say, IDK what is the afterlife or if there is any. But in THIS life, religious people have a sense of certainty and feel a power that is helpful for a lot of them, for sure. A lot less doubts overall - which helps a lot in some cases, and can be a prison in a few other cases. I get what you're saying.
I was born and raised in a catholic familly and have been a believer for 30 years, after becoming an agnostic and subsequently a declared atheist I finally turned to philosophy and psychology to rule my life.
I mostly study Stoicism as I can see many logical thoughts to rule a man's life without the necessity to respond to a deity or being subdued by an institution; I still respect Christianity and religions in general though, because they also provide the same teachings as Stoicism, for a better day-to-day life.
Even when I did believe in God I still went by "would I do this if no one was watching" on many occasions. I find this question particularly powerful to point out the truth of someone's heart. If someone, despite believing in some higher responsibility, tells you they would go commit crimes and atrocities, do not trust them in critical or desperate situations. Afterall, if they can betray a God, how much more will they betray you.
Good point. I believe someone once said "If a person "needs" God to be Good/Moral then they are not! They are only monster on a leash.
True. This means that person has never created their own conscience and questions outside of religion.
Alright then. You've got quite a bit of explaining to do as to how you came to be typing out that message on a computer keyboard friend.
@@AndrewChristiansen-rx4mxI’m that monster. I don’t have a leash.
@@AndrewChristiansen-rx4mx he didn’t imply that - at all . What he said was that someone who claims to be an avid believer in a higher power yet still goes and commits crimes and atrocities , even in the face of their God , is surely someone not to be trusted. The person here demonstrates that although they still need God , and even in the face of God , they still commit wrong. So never did their need of God translate into instilling the righteous code of conduct that others would normally expect- or require - from this person. Here his need of God never at all assisted this individual to do the right thing to begin with. Thus his need of God here for this one individual person never automatically equated to being good or moral that others would normally expect.
However that much being said and despite this it doesn’t mean that everyone who needs God would still do wrong or contradict their faith. So perhaps they DO IN FACT need him for that guidance when they do right. Then also the vice versa is true , as it doesn’t mean that people who don’t need God would always necessarily do the wrong thing either if they never had God as their compass . You’re looking at it incorrectly . Because some still DO while others don’t - it all depends on the person . Now as far as how many not needing God to still do the right thing while going into the future ? Well , only time will tell , because this phenomenon is still very recent.
Einstein summed up religion quite well:
If people are good because they fear eternal punishment, and hope for eternal reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.
Is it wrong to believe that we humans are a sorry lot? Humans need to be humble to admit this. Don't we need more humility in society?
Not wrong at all. It's the beginning.@@careydepass130
Most people only help others out of pity. But the problem is they help them because they dont like feeling pity and in doing so also views them as weaker and inferior. People should help others because they respect them and see them as equals not because they feel bad.
Einstein was an asshole himself so what’s your point
To be fair though, that’s pretty much how we work in every other aspect too, so I don’t understand why it’s condemnable when it comes to religion.
We’re raised on reward and punishment, it continues in the education system and doesn’t stop at the workplace either. Additionally I would argue a lot of laws are the only reason people don’t do certain things. It’s simply how we work.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
The Yin and Yang.
Since first reading Nietzsche on nihilism in 1976 I've been following his prophecies as lived hypotheses through 50+ jobs, 37 states and 13 countries. He was absolutely correct.
And if you don't like the way things are going now, just wait awhile.
Here's the most relevant passage, near the end of the 1967 Kaufman edition of "Will To Power":
“What I relate is the history of the next two centuries. I describe what is coming, what can no longer come differently: the advent of nihilism!
Nihilism stands at the door: whence comes this uncanniest of all guests?
1. Point of departure: it is an error to consider 'social distress' or 'physiological degeneration' or, worse, corruption, as the cause of nihilism. Ours is the most decent and compassionate age. Distress, whether of the soul, body, or intellect, cannot of itself give birth to nihilism (i.e., the radical repudiation of value, meaning, and desirability). Such distress always permits a variety of interpretations. Rather: it is in one particular interpretation, the Christian-moral one, that nihilism is rooted.
2. The end of Christianity-at the hands of its own morality (which cannot be replaced), which turns against the Christian God (the sense of truthfulness, developed highly by Christianity, is nauseated by the falseness and mendaciousness of all Christian interpretations of the world and of history; rebound from 'God is truth' to the fanatical faith 'All is false'; a Buddhism of inaction).
3. Skepticism regarding morality is what is decisive. The end of the moral interpretation of the world, which no longer has any sanction after it has tried to escape into some beyond, leads to nihilism. 'Everything lacks meaning' (the untenability of one interpretation of the world, upon which a tremendous amount of energy has been lavished, awakens the suspicion that all interpretations of the world are false). Buddhistic tendency, a kind of yearning for Nothing. (Indian Buddhism is not the culmination of a thoroughly moralistic development; its nihilism is therefore full of morality that is not overcome: existence as punishment, existence construed as error, error thus as a punishment- is a moral valuation.)
4. Philosophical attempts to overcome the 'moral God' (Hegel, pantheism).
Overcoming popular ideals: the sage; the saint; the poet.
The antagonism of 'true' and 'beautiful' and 'good'."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche (1888)
The movie Naked (1993) described perfectly what Nietzsche feared. I’d argue it was always like this, but internet/social media has completely nuked people’s minds to mush.
Mush is easier to mould to your will
That, certainly - but let's not forget the 72 shots of 16 different vaccines by the age of 18, and the incessant drugging of our children, adults, and seniors.
@@BenYamunma or to the will of the ruling class, which is more probable.
That movie is amazing. I seen it late at night many years ago on TV and it blew me away. Such a raw and striking film.
also the movie "Idiocracy" with Owen Wilson - very funny, and also HORRIFIC.
We live such empty lives it’s insane. We have everything that u need for survival yet we lost the most important parts of life: purpose, meaning, harmony, connecting. As long as this generation starts living differently as there parents thought them (money,house,work,school)we are just gonna see more and more pain.
Yeah, cause history shows that everything was So harmonious back then. People used to constantly be At war, killing eachother in the most gruesone ways, it was Even worse than today. We are living in the most peaceful era of humanity.
@@ai-no3ibJust because the wars aren't raging in our backyards doesn't mean they have stopped. People in first world countries like the US all too often take for granted peace manufactured through proxy manipulation.
I highly doubt those living in the Middle East would consider this their most peaceful era--probably quite the opposite.
@@goldenlizard92 Tell that to the people of the middle ages Who fought in barbaric wars, died of horrific diseases, died from a tooth infection, in childbirth, from the plague, smallpox, worked hard Agricultural jobs to survive, had no indoor toilet, shower or running water and bathed once a year. The kings took their money, there was pillaging, theft, prostituting, murder, the rich took enslaved the poor, Even the church forced people to Pay good money because it was a very powerful and corrupt institution! God and religion has nothing to do with the downfall of men! I’m agnostic and I still have a set of moral values, I don’t go around hurting other people, I still do good deeds because I feel like doing them! And btw, the middle East is stuck in the middle ages fighting religious wars BECAUSE of religion, before islam, that area was the cradle of civilization!
I'm quite old now and in Finland all through my life religion has not played any part of my life, or the lives of the people I know.
Still nobody in my early years complained about the lack of purpose or meaning. This anxiety has come in the last couple of decades, and particularly in the last decade and it's all because of the smart phone, not the lack of religion.
We have started to live our lives online, and many people who know of nothing else, feel sick because of it. That's because they don't know how it was before, they only know the artificial world of the fast and portable internet.
They try to fit their human instincts, needs and wants to work in this digital realm, but they naturally fail in it, because human interactions are not supposed to be just short readable messages or videos, but the actual presence of other people in a physical space.
This is why the younger people feel that "the world" is an awful place, as the only world they have ever known is a highly lonely, artificial and commercial one, facilitated by big corporations like Instagram, X, TikTok RUclips and the like.
I see these kinds of videos all the time now, videos which yearn for religion to make a comeback, but the lack of religion is NOT the problem. The problem is that people have opted out of all natural communities and embraced artificial and superficial ones in the name of short term comfort. I repeat; in my childhood and younger years nobody had any "existential crisis" or thought that life is without purpose or meaning whatsoever. People may have had their individual hardships, but there was no big sentiment that "the whole world is an awful, anxiety inducing dystopia". That all came along with portable high speed internet, and people preferring it's comfort over actual interactions.
There's still lots and lots people could do which would enrich their lives exponentially, but they just choose not to, say it's impossible and yearn for something like religion to come back and hand them meaning.
@@ai-no3ibyes, we're all aware the modern day is safer than the past. Are we actually better off for it? That's the issue
“One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. So now people assume that religion and morality have a necessary connection. But the basis of morality is really very simple and doesn't require religion at all.”
― Arthur C. Clarke
❤💯❤️
Nietzsche said basically the same. The issue, according to him, is that on the current stage, humanity still can't have morality being separated from religion. And our current society perfectly reinforce it.
For years, I've been contemplating these thoughts, asking my grandparents and parents what religion meant to them, and comparing it to how we see it now. The fundamentals of religion are a great social construct, they did abuse their power and people jumped ship, I need to remind you that this happens in all forms of power. Corrupt companies, corrupt financial institutions, corrupt politicians... We decide to let it happen because we can't do much about these scandals because it's out of range for most of us, and we've become too scared and obedient towards this normalized vulgar power structure. On all levels of society, religion made us one, we shared ideals and ways of thinking, giving us a group to be a part of. This has been replaced with 'individuality' and, as mentioned, we do create small, skin-deep communities. None of these have a profound meaning, so it's like eating a very sugary treat. It tastes nice, but it leaves you feeling hungry and wanting more. Also this progression leads to every external event that happens to an individual or any issue they encounter in the world, regardless of whether it is their fault or not, they are ultimately responsible for everything, which creates a tremendous amount of stress and a feeling of helplessness. As a modern society, we are free, but we are also separated from each other. We are like a group of instruments that don't play well together and make noise instead of making music.
"As a modern society, we are free, but we are also separated from each other. We are like a group of instruments that don't play well together and make noise instead of making music." -Joffrey Geenen.
Very nicely said and I will make sure to remember this one. Very thoughtful comment overall as well.Thank you!
@@z3rz112 Thank you for reading, best of luck.
Wow. What a great analogy you've found there!
Love the last sentence, might also explain why I love dissonant music, it really reflects that aspect of the world. A recent song that comes to mind is Noiseless Noise by PJ Harvey, highly recommend. :)
The last part was poetic
I was raised Christian. While I understand wholeheartedly the positive value of religion, I also understand how incredibly destructive it can be. How obsessed people become by it and how it warps people's minds. How people will argue about what they think being a good Christian or good muslim or good Jew is and impose their own views on others. I see a resugence in Christianity. I see it almost as a new "club" people are joining just to feel a part of something. And its not out of the realm of possibility that members of this new club will eventually do what their predecessors did. Chastise, persecute, vilify those who aren't in "the club" or who don't abide by its rules. I already see this happening amongst a new generation of young conservatives. People as individuals are fine. In groups, they're absolute morons and will go along with almost anything so as to remain a devoted member. And this can apply to religious groups, political groups, any group of people who are expected to follow along with certain tenets and beliefs. Liberals in the past few years have shown how insane and nonsensical secular people can be just as the salem witch trials showed how insane and nonsensical religious people can be.
The ironic thing is modern liberalism has become a religion. What's the difference between claiming a virgin gave birth and claiming men can give birth? Nothing much, and both groups I'm referring to will hate you if you point out the objective fact neither of those things are possible (without unnatural modern procedures, anyway).
Your critique of Christianity is that it isn't. Most Christians, nearly all in my estimation, neither know Christ nor follow his example. I point out your observation of being a "good" Christian. Jesus himself is quoted as saying "no one is good but the Father", so those pseudo-Christians who have spoken of being a "good" Christian belie their lack of understanding. Most Christians simply aren't.
@@tedlogan4867 are you a Christian? The problem is everyone thinks they know what it means to be a good Christian. So in a roundabout way you sort of are proving my point.
I’ve come to the conclusion that zealousness isn’t so much a religious problem as it is a human problem. We just tend to associate it with religions/religious people because up until very recently pretty much everyone was religious.
In fact, I think the last 125 years have made it clear that most problems that people associate with organized religion can be duplicated within secular organizations just as easily.
@@ptyleranodon3081 yes I agree. I think religion is a very strong conduit however for extreme zealotry/beliefs. But anytime people start identifying with groups it is problematic
"The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.”
Thomas Paine
In the UK, 2000 churches & chapels have been converted into Mosques.
Greatest propagandist
What is good
Nietzsche thought Paine an ass...and for good reason.
The hardest time I had with my life morally and emotionally was when I gave up looking for god after a lifetime of being raised in religion with no actual tools to make sense of the world. A lot of personal pain would have been spared had I been raised with the proper tools. After years of struggling to find a good path I'm now a big supporter of stoicism and CBT as it has helped me move forward with personal meaning.
Stoicism is great and being stoic is difficult as it demands a great deal on your behalf. This makes stoicism quite timeless, but also not very popular by its very nature
CBT?
@@rokaspleckaitis8924 Correct. The foolish and the fearful have way better false comfort due to their greater numbers. Their only effort involves keeping up with the latest trend.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy
I choose to believe not because I have to or to evade eternal damnation but because I see it as a light that draws me to it and out of this world of darkness. Having lived years in depression and working as an ICU nurse I questioned the meaning of it all until one day I decided that meaning is an open ended question, it is what we choose to make it. Morality has a purpose of providing order in a world that otherwise would favor might over right. So instead, I accept that I like most in the world, am insignificant except to the few who love me. But as a group, united by common moral codes, we help provide meaning to a world governed by apathetic physical laws. Does my belief mean that I’m right and others should believe as I do? No, instead it offers me a light to direct my path out of this dark world. Is the light sunshine leading towards green meadows of peace or is it instead the headlight of an oncoming train? Only time will tell but until then I have light shining on my path that helps me from stumbling in the darkness and for that I am grateful.
@JC-du6sn Sport the dog?
@@gorillagas5546 you have immense purpose and usually you won’t even realize it. We affect others’ lives by our own words and actions so be slow to judge and swift to help and your rewards will be great no matter if you believe in God or not because ‘Virtue is it’s own reward’. Doing virtuous things makes one virtuous and what greater reward could one desire.
I was born and raised in a strict Catholic family. When I entered my teen rebelious stage, i was ultimately shunned and exiled from my whole family, and left on my own at 16.
The first ten years were pretty rough, delved deep into atheism and anti religion. The next 5 years after that, i turned my life around for the better, the bext five years after that came some of the most life changing and traumatic events. I bled out in childbirth, and crossed into the middle ground between life and death. I was only there for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity. And the things i saw truly changed my perspective on life.
Most would think i came back with a renound sense of faith, a rejuvenation for life, but i did not. In fact, I fell into a deep depression and sense of nihilistic thinking, that battles in the inner workings of my mind.
I found your videos about a year ago, when i really decided to try and pull myself back together for my family's sake. (And i thank you for making them, they are incredibly helpful to my healing journey)
Between therapy, and guided self help with my therapist, I have come to fins some solace in catholicism. Its hard to explain, and i am atill exploring this, but the point about sense of community and finding people to be able to relate to has been a huge help for myself. I can definitely agree with alot of points in this video. Religion has helped, but philosophy and psychology have helped me understand religion in a deeper way.
I think the point of nihilism destroying itself by either succumbing to the bitterness or finding a light is a great point, and one I will definitely explore within myself more.
Thank you for all the work you put into these video essays, and thank you for your help in my personal journey to a better mindset. You have helped my emotional durability more than you will ever know.
@Woke_Imperialist6066 lol! Nah, the one in the pic passed a couple years ago, I've since lost most of the pictures I had of him, and that one I keep as a memorial.
Husband and 4 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and more garden than I know what to do with
@@TwistedSheep1009
Theotokos
"He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how" - The man covered in this video
Indeed, if you are unable to make decisions for yourself, they will be made for you, often against your own interest and to the detriment of your character.
I find meaning through producing art. And 3 years ago, I couldn't even draw. At all; like, *at all.* I read a few books on drawing and now I have progressed into figure drawing! It's like Schopenhauer (sp) said...the only way to happiness is an appreciation for the arts and letters. Ive heard that repeated so many times, and I now firmly believe it.
Very cool! Good for you! 🙌🏽 ❤
I'm in a similar camp as you. It's also nice to have a long-term project to work towards, at least for me.
We are in the tragedy of human overshoot. It turns out we were a really greedy species lacking true wisdom.
As a Buddhist I feel attacked by this video haha!
On a serious note, I feel this raises a question I’ve found myself asking as I get older, though I feel like most people are caught up in their own busy lives to the point of not noticing, zombie like if you will.
As a normal person, I feel attacked by your comment.
As a Taoist I just smile.
This video is more about Christianity, religious people who are devoted to god and the loss of that tradition.
As an Atheist who leans towards more at Spirituality, Buddhism and Taoism philosophy I'm not offended at all.
People just have to explore other religions, incorporate all the good morals, wisdoms and life lessons that each offer and take mental health seriously, learn more about psychology.
Buddhism is impressive as going after the truth is one of your core tenets, it's a shame that the religion never became widespread.
@@canchero724 because Buddhism is not really religion he is philosopher, and ppl make religion out of him, i personally dislike buddism tho because he is not as liberating as ppl tought
I don’t know about the rest of the world, but here in the US we are a bunch of monsters fighting and striving to get the most money we can on a daily basis. People have become so removed from anything spiritual.
Just clutching at the straws of the past, the last gasps of a dying giant.
can thank Reaganomics
@@icup-x4eTrickle down economics
Only half of thé US theyr called demonrats, hello from Europe
@@johnstow5613 tell me u don’t understand reaganomics without telling me u don’t understand reaganomics. reaganomics referrers to the deregulation of economics during the 1980’s ie stripping down everything that made the workforce human instead looking only at the bottom line stripping down every cost that wasn’t efficient. it’s what’s caused such a huge finical discrepancy in this country. trickle down economics is what ur racist grandpa tells u when ur 12 it’s a myth
I have studied ancient vedic astrology which is based on karma and reincarnation-it gives my life a lot of meaning. In a lifetime you will probably experience a seven year period of karmic correction (Ketu dasha)-every spiritually minded person hopes to go through one of these periods despite it being the most challenging time. Through this understanding of spiritual science (science of light), astrology guides us naturally to do the right thing to protect our future and future lives. It has taught me this point more so than Christianity where people may be tempted to make selfish 'mistakes' in the thought that forgiveness for error can be granted, and not improve their lives properly. It helps me to reflect on life and strive for the most positive symbolic meanings of periods of time eg. Saturn could mean depression or, your choice- hard work, discipline and success through perseverance. Or Mars- anger and hatred ,or getting fit and challenging yourself physically
What’re your thoughts on the caste system? - more specifically, the idea that the social standing you’re born into is a manifestation of your karma. Ie untouchable, Brahmin etc
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful." - Seneca
so true.
Bearing in mind that he was probably pagan and he served Nero.
In how true that really indeed is...
It's useful to everyone that wants to exist in a civil society 🤡
Religion yes, but most fools doesn't separate god and religion. The belief in god, has not much to do with religion. Wise men, know god and have no use for religion.
People want everything from life, but are not willing to pay the price.
Which is?
I paid the price and got nothing in return.
I have now given up on life as a result
Nothing has meaning except the meaning we give it.
The year after I finished school (2018-2019) this really hit me. Since 2012, whenever I was in a uncomfortable situation I prayed for Jesus's comeback. Later I thought that I could just repent for my sins and accept Jesus as my lord and saviour right when I jumped of a cliff.
Since 2020 I live without any real purpose other than "mom would be sad". Which is so dumb
Evangelical Protestantism is simply the same Issue as We see in Humanism. It rejects Christian Tradition and makes it about a "Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ". Ironically so does Modern Catholiscism. Well, Not Entirely but in terms of Rank and Lilke and what The Church Pushes Openly Now. The Truth is, Secularising The Church or Weakening The Theology and History is Not any Different from the Secular World. I say Meaning is in Christianity in its True and Deep Form, not in its Popular Form.
I hear you brother. We've just gotta find purpose and occasional joy in friends and the small things, and go from there.
You have become the malcontent suffering from mental illness and or depression. This is what is going to cause socialism/communism then the suffering of country. Good times create soft men hard times create strong men...many narcissist up tick in society as well. This will end badly these people will bring on to us there wrath there revenge... Revenge for what? For being born.
Sticking around to care for those around us, I wouldn't call dumb. Unless they were unworthy of our care.
@@deplorible753 - All are Worthy of Care, and this "Unworthy of Care" Mentality is itself the Issue. Unless We Treat All as having Worth, None Will Really have Worth.
Great video. I think it’s difficult to really know the full increases of depression and related mental health issues. Over the last few decades the DSM (manual for identifying a mental health diagnosis) has included more and more behaviours to be classified under a mental health diagnosis. Therefore, your chances of being diagnosed with depression or other mental health needs has dramatically increased. This is compounded by the hegemonic role of the pharmaceutical industry who have a clear vested interest in swelling their customer base. What was once seen as a normal reactions to difficult social issues may now be more readily classified as something pathological. I not arguing that depression is not on the increase, although its reasons are complex.
Agree I think many different factors play into the spike in depression. It really cannot help that our society currently rewards victimhood though. I’m now seeing middle class men striving for victimhood - that’s a sure fire path to unhappiness
You are shining a light on what surrounds us. It’s time to push through the deep corruption.
We are very unhealthy and the pharmaceutical industry thrives on that 💯💯!!!
If we learned how to properly take care of ourselves both physically and mentally as well as emotionally (they are all connected) we wouldn't feel the need to give in and take pills.
Sometimes you have to get to the source of the problem yourself because it's not always something a doctor is willing to do.. Ask yourself questions and do some personal investigating; is it something that you may feel uncomfortable facing emotionally.. is it lack of sleep, do you need meditation, more exercise or maybe it's because you are lacking a certain vitamin or your hormones are off..???🤷🤷
It's typically something that can be resolved without medication but that simply will not do because they won't get that extra cash from it💵💵💰💰
If you research hard enough, the "chemical imbalance" theory was debunked YEARS ago!!! But they still preach that bs..🤦🤦🤬🤬🤬
We also have to be aware of medical manipulation to..
When I turned down medication for my depressive episodes, I was amazed at the tactics they tried to use to reel me in...😳😳😳
To each their own at the end of the day but me; been there, done that, no thanks...😒😒👎👎👎
Feeling down? Take a pill! Big Pharma approved this message!
@@enigmaticallis3110
Totally agree, the chemical imbalance stuff is a bunch of BS. IT'S a cash cow in the majority of cases. Almost any other therapy is better than Pharma, IMHO!
Once humans don't become so attached to "meaning," and that there must be some underlying meaning of existence in order to thrive, then they may be able to overcome this whole dilemma. We are meaning seeking creatures due to our large brains and ability for abstract thinking. Existence doesn't have to be "for a reason," as so many wish to think. It is okay that nothing was "designed" for us.
People have always been obsessed with looks and beauty, from the beginning of civilization, it's not like this is some sort of new trend and in my opinion it's nothing to do with the decline of religion: that void has been filled by consumerism, hedonism, materialism. Back in the day, it was even worse - people believed that beauty was a reflection of morality, and ugly people were seen as bad people. The idea of inner beauty is actually a much more modern concept than one might think. But make no mistake - our obsession with looks and beauty has always been a part of human nature.
I think the more the years go by, the closer we get to the razor's edge of complete moral decline. I'm from a religious background so I try to take the best parts of it and apply it to everyday life.
With altruistic reciprocation there's no need for so called Christian morality. Looks like old Nietzsche got it wrong.
Jesus Christ destroyed religion, and even the appearance of being religious. It’s a relationship. It’s about the precious blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
I just don't understand why people need to be told to be good? We have laws and norms in society to take care of the minority of deviants who come from religious and non-religious backgrounds. Just be kind to one another and plan for the fact that some people are not well. 😊
that is incorrect. if you let it get to you; then its your own fault. ive seen many elderly who are happy if not happier than the were in their youths. so your point is moot. what you are talking about is a person who grew up fearing god and everything else . so you get scared. and that being scared makes you angry. but its impossible for me; because i hate aggression with all my soul. unless i lose my mentality due to severe old age; ill alway be the same person ive alwyas been.
@@jasonlee8497huh? The christian religion went on a thousand plus year tear destroying every other religions and culture they met. Converting by the sword or assault.
The christians following their religion have done nothing except hurt others
The thing about people abandoning religion is that many can't think for themself. Let's face it, not everyone are capable of self governance, and have a functioning moral compass or even just basic etiquette to other people. At the very least religion give them this sets of good and bad that they should follow. From there, if they educate themself and be independent thinker then that's good. If not then at the very least, they still have those sets of moral compass and not be an ass towards other
only non muslim abandoning relgion, muslim became more religious day by day
non Muslim can abandon their faith without fearing for their life,, but Muslims can't,, i am an ex-muslim,, and I can't even tell anyone because i fear for my life,,
That's very sad.@@xpnixaxia1122
So true. To me, it's much better if younger generations start their conscious lives with God's word as the moral compass. If later they decide they need no God and church in their lives - it's perfectly fine, hopefully, morals and higher ideals have taken good root already. But if we bear children into the world of moral grayness and nihilism in the hope that they somehow figure it all out by themselves or learn from their role models, I'm afraid, we might end up as gangs and clans fighting one another for power and resources, altruistic only to the people 'within' and merciless towards 'outsiders'.
@@hyvakoiraHasn’t it always been like that? Us vs them
I studied philosophy at University and really loved that. My final work was about Nietzsche’s view towards the Greek Tragedy. My second year at University I had Medieval Philosophers… at that time I forced an approach to the Church and enjoyed, some year later I left. What I can say is my time close to Christian Religion built something important that I praise.
Ya theres literature in theology even if you don't believe in its metaphysical.
@@niftyskates85 I do believe
He didn't see it coming, he also saw it during his own time.
Thought about this all just recently. Decided to go deeper into simple living without expectations and too much socialising.
solitude is bliss in the modern world. Cant have drama if you're not around people and societies institutions
This is what I do. Of course I get criticised incessantly for it by people but I don’t care. Society is sick, and worse, banal and mundane. I don’t care for it.
That's about where I'm at, for the five years or so I have stopped dating and most socialising. I'm becoming reclusive. I find people's desires overwhelming, their yearning for material wealth and status begins to get me down very quickly. If I keep a distance from that and concentrate on my craft and interests I find calm and emotional peace.
@@jimdavis8391I hit that point in life in the past, and I sometimes wonder if I'll hit it again later on as well.. however, having a chill friend, partner, or family member does make a world of difference. Someone to share life with. May just be more difficult for people to find in the modern world, but it does exist. ❤
I find myself constantly torn during these times. My parents were and still are devout Christians. They managed to do decently well for themselves and their faith is unshakable. Yet even though I tried to follow in the same, going to church, prayer and such, my life has been far from a success. Nowadays I feel like it was all an illusion, wasted time. I can't seem to find an audience in God and it has filled me with bitterness and hate. I know quite a few atheists who have done far better than me, and it's only made me more bitter. Why pray to a god that never answers you? I don't think I'll ever find the answers. But for those who were given the rewards for belief, I won't lash out at them, or try to push others not to believe. If it works for you great, but it doesn't work for everyone. Some of us are just eternally screwed, and I guess it is what it is.
u believe a guy came back to life 2000 years ago bc ur parents told u so ur in control of ur own life just like ur parents were if ur a failure it’s not jesus fault 💀
Don’t pray for a break from the pain, pray for the strength to overcome it, he answers those ones.
@@luigimrlgaming9484 ong lord zenu always comin in clutch when u need him 💪🏻🙏🏻💪🏻
I follow Albert Camus' existentialism - it liberated me from moral dilemmas and questions about my religion and moral code. The gist of what I understood is that the absurdity of existing is mindboggling, yet we are called to make choices that either way will yield absurd results. The only way to make a 'meaningful' living is to choose amongst the absurd that which is productive, joyful and liberating. In the quote "one must imagine Sisyphus happy," Camus is suggesting that even in the face of a seemingly meaningless and endless task, we can find happiness by accepting our circumstances and embracing our own freedom to choose how we respond to them.
If you ever feel life is meaningless, it is not. Its what we choose to make out of it.
Interdasting!
Very, VERY sceptical that things will become better in the future..
Far too many things all around are changing, and certainly not for the best..
@@iamshebeeloloindigenous
I'am not really wishing for anything.
Just stating cold hard facts.
P.S. to experienced, to old, to realistic to believe in romanticism like "the kingdom is within you". Just been around the block, and seen far far too much to hold stock in that..
Been around longer than you, obvoiusly...
Very well then, Peace to you right back...
This is good intellectual stimulation, both the video and the comments.
A great source (among others) of meaning and beauty for me has been working on the land, including my own version of gardening involving ponds and beehives. Since feeling connected to the land is a central prerequisite (because you would not care to improve land that does not belong now and forever to you or your family), I realize that this is not a very accessible hobby or source of meaning, especially as the world becomes increasingly urbanized.
I grew up a Christian and an a scientist. Having explored many ways of thinking, I don’t believe that we need to fear God to be kind, forgiving or living. There’s many aspects of life that are important that don’t need religion to exist. However, there is something powerful in the idea of faith; that there is a positive and loving being that sees the greater picture and asks us to not worry, but instead see the value in persistence and consistency, regardless of circumstance.
"That which does not kill us, makes us crippled."
"That which does not kill us makes us immoral."
"That which does not kill us, makes us discouraged."
Oh, wait ... I got it. "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."
This nuanced take is one of the reasons I respected Nietzsche so much after reading him. Able to perceive the truth but honest enough to admit the existential dangers of stripping away the lie upon which civilization is built.
he wasnt a genius any idiot could imagine it happening, religion was declining since the 1600's
No one told the USA. Plenty of religious nut jobs here. Corrupt and comic book morality are still our major exports
WHAT BOOK?! I need KNOWLEDGE on this subject!
not nuanced enough. maybe for his time. many things can be seen as a religious structure (or believe system) such as nationality(culture), law, money systems the following of Apple and what not. mindless following was prelevent in Hitlers Third Reich for example. Any group of people may be described as a cult when you only think in extremes and that's what unnuanced thinking is.
@@shadowscp1391lol, bro. just think. never read Nietzsche but from what people quote from him I'm never impressed. maybe if you are 10.
I found inner peace when I gave up on any kind of religious beliefs.
That was definitely part of it for me.
I lived that way for 10years after originally being raised christian but as an atheist I went down a deep hole of depression and addiction, resigning the world (pain) and not having any meaning of life.
I now found my peace in buddhism and meditation and it was the main factor for my rehab, for giving up drugs and wanting to live and help others instead of escaping reality. I still struggle with my past/demons of course but I now feel happy, my life has meaning and I can truely love myself and others.
@@farinthefuture2178 As an Atheist I have been there. I found my hope in my goals/dreams. That's what keeps me away from alcohol/drugs and keeps me going. I have always struggled with depression since i was a kid which I had even as a Christian back when i had more support and a god to talk to etc. I just know I can't be fake and to keep my eyes on my future of what I will do and where I will go.
I find inner peace when I truly connect with religion.
I find inner peace with knowing I’m a part of Nature , not more , not less .
Brother please bring more of Buddhist philosophical videos on this channel. I love your interpretations of the Dhammapada and it really inspires me to be someone great. Hope so you'll consider this request from a younger brother from India ❤
Would also like to see this
In my experience 'finding purpose' and 'finding meaning' is an endless search without ending. Asking myself 'what do I enjoy' has helped a lot. I enjoy making music on drums within a club. Also walking/hiking in nature with friends or alone, I enjoy so much.
When I enjoy something to the fullest, the meaning and purpose are not important to me.
You just defined your purpose as finding enjoyment. The meaning is why enjoyment matters to you.
I’ve been in different for most of my life and didn’t care about much. Through that indifference I was able to find something to care about. I’ve been able to pick up illustration and decided to create children’s books. Am I rich, not at all, not even close. But I am fulfilled, it gives me meaning, enough to continue to push forward. Best of luck to you finding your why.
Spoken like a true simpleton
I am Indonesian, but I do not pratice any kind religion, I just keep awareness of my own .
Hey man, great channel and wonderful episode as always. I really dig your stuff. It looks like we are on the same Journey as I see you creating great videos on stoicism, taoism and other philosophies/philosophers.
I always loved reading, but I never felt like I had the time while I was working and raising a family, but now that I'm retired, I have taken it up again and have been reading about all of the major philosophies and religions.
I started with Stoicism, really got into it and then wondered what else was out there, so I went to Buddhism, then Taoism and now Hinduism (this is the one George Harrison got into...).
Of all of them, I think Stoicism is the most practical, Buddhism is the most straightforward, Hinduism attracted George Harrison, so there's got to be something there, and Taoism is an incomprehensible tangle of opposites that don't make much sense to me, so I decided to "study/not study it"...
I blame myself for not really understanding Taoism. Lao Tzu seemed to have his s*** together, and it has been practiced and adored for thousands of years, so I figure I'm in the wrong. I will watch some of your videos on the topic to brush up...
And now on to my question...
Wondering if you have ever watched Jordan Peterson's "Philosophical Significance of the Biblical Stories" lectures? If you haven't, you should. It's a series of 16, 2-1/2 hour lectures on Genesis and how relates to psychological concepts and ideas. Absolutely fascinating.
Peterson seems to be very well read on all of these philosophies and religions and weaves various concepts and ideas throughout his lectures on the biblical stories. Also, I think he's the smartest man on the planet, with the possible exception of Elon Musk....
Sorry for the short novel here in your comments section. My last name isn't even Dickens...
Keep up the great work.
1) Life doesn't have intrinsic meaning hence we first need to stop seeking meaning.
2) The spiritual healthy human being doesn't need any institution in order to act virtuously.
3) We should acknowledge our most embedded fear: the fear of death. Only then we'll stop fearing life and will be able to focus on how to live according to nature.
Forgive my presumption: after all, I'm just a human being 😏
A meaningful vlog for a sentient being. Well done, Meneer Einzelganger.
I agree with you.
He ignores a suicidal birthrate. So while one can wallow in the idea of finding 'meaning' in one's life - it ultimately is quite pointless. The Dutch may laugh at religion - but in the end, their laughter will echo quite ironically when there are no more indigenous Dutch. Not that far away mathematically - and a certainty I may add.
I do not subscribe to organized religion as I believe it is contributing to Godlessness, but I was living on the streets homeless for 8 years and grew up in a horribly abusive family and I know I wouldn't be where I am today without the Lord. He literally sent angels to save my life. I follow the gospel of Jesus Christ. My life was vastly improved when I accepted the Lord and was baptized by an ex-felon-turned pastor. Is my life perfect? No. But I have finally felt true happiness and for the first time in my life I like myself and I have hope and contentment and I owe it all to trusting in the Lord. Don't give up. Keep fighting the good fight. ✝️❤️
This video finds me in a very special moment. I was just thinking about this a few days ago, both the idea of the declining of western society moral and values and how Nietzsche saw it coming. I believe that some day in the future, there will be a huge revolution related to this. I don't know if it will be the birth of a new form of religion, based on defending these principles, or a revival of Christianity as a response to how the Islam is changing the world nowadays.
May I ask how Islam is changing the world?
we think of psychology in terms of cure, but It is also concerned with building mental strength.
I think this is what human needs, a bigger psychological muscle, many people can't even engage in a proper civilized argument, this is a skill, and it should be basic, but many lack it even in adulthood
@@azeezkamalkehinde6434 Just take a look at Europe
It's a necessary and healthy systemic shift for every society. Doing good not because you are afraid of consequences or because some book told you so, but because you feel this is the right way. There is no guidance and it makes it harder, and it's normal.
A human is not a microwave and does not come with a manual.
Well done, as always. Thank you
Music was a nice touch.
I was once in a public house, having a conversation with an old man. He asked me what religion I was, I said that I was an atheist. He then said, then I must be evil. I then said, well! if I am, I have not had the need to make use of up to now. true story.
I'm sorry to hear that...
'Must be evil' is one hell of a shortcut to thinking and trying to understand the human condition. It's why there's a universe-sized gulf between the religious and non-religious, and always will be. Good for you to suppress your evil tendencies, that's nice self-control until it's time for it to be unleashed on a world of sheep.
@@buckfozos5554 sir this is a RUclips comment section. Calm down.
Some people search for their special purpose/meaning all their lives and it brings them so much pain. I would suggest that our meaning is simply existence. Our acts absolutely have meaning, but to think each of us has some fated purpose is an ego filled delusion. Letting go of that is quite freeing.
I don't see anything freeing about being like an NPC
A cow in a field is the pinnacle of living then. What a loser
Religion is not equal to morality.
Lets be honest. The older generation will always call the NEW generation "the problem with the world"
Yeah… blame the problems you created on your children…
Also, the younger generations will never stop blaming their elders. There is enough stupidity to go around so no need to look for external scapegoats.
@@dharmaqueen7877 you're saying that no one is to blame for the problems in this world. basically only the very own individuals fault, anything else are external scapegoats. I'd rather focus on the self reflecting, numb emotion which argues that the perceived awareness of the lack of sustainability induced by the desire to win and be above any idiot, fogged with media, which is by the way the main culprit of blaming young people (satisfaction in indulgence by older readers in pleasing themselves) in the past vs. today. Naming it the same is insane.
Because they remember when life wasn't a cesspool 🤡
@@kip4223I believe he’s stating quite the opposite, which I tend to agree. The younger generations haven’t fixed it, though some effort is happening. We let ourselves be divided on other issues rather than solving the issues that are most important, meanwhile the older generations created the problem and only want to escape responsibility as they continue towing the same things, and they teach their children to be the same
Thank you. I had only heard bits and pieces of Nietzsche so I thought nearly the opposite of him. I appreciate not wanting the „sheep-like“ slavery to religion but, being interested in the spirit beneath us all…I feel a little lonely in these times
Often times I find many in the west without religion simply channel that sheepness into other things with similar concepts, and build the state into their god as it is the state now completely enforcing the ideology. There is no other worldly hell you can be threatened with and so they try to make your mortal life hell.
Tbh. This is also just a piece of Nietzsche's work. Someone said, you can dis-proof Nietzsche with Nietzsche. He wrote a lot and had to say something to many topics. Nietzsche is a rabbit hole. ^^
I found a quote that sums up what I think Nietzsche's work describes the best. It is not from him, but said by a Nietzsche figure in a theatrical play.
"Nihilism is a vast and endless abyss. My work is a thin rope you can stretch to the other side and learn to dance across in joy."
We're all going to be sheep to something.
@@StonedWidowOnDoom *Disprove.
I highly appreciate Nz because he provides us with thought experiments. And it has been a great help with considering our human nature. He's planting seeds of freedom in minds. We choose to rise to the light. Nz uses the dichotomy.
"Contentment begins where expectations end." - King of Fuh
Oswald Spengler, the philosopher of history, rather set Nietzche's ideas into historical forecasts and he was remarkably accurate.
For someone to need religion to be a good person is a scary thought... Think about how many people actually want to do horrible things, but having faith in God is the only thing stopping them
I've never understood the search for meaning. Why does life have to have meaning? Life just IS.
the meaning of life is life
seriously, I just want to appreciate things while I'm here
Beans bro
To feel joyful just for existing is the highest thing a human can achieve. Something all the money in the world can't buy.
I also think this way. But I guess there is some variation on humans, and a portion cannot find meaning.
Thanks. Money is the only religion everyone beleives in.
“ When it is a question of money, everyone is of the same religion.”
Voltaire
That is a very nihilistic viewpoint
@@maxofficial2globalism*
@@Darkdayzz people that lack the evolutionary ability to think morbidly are at higher risk of becoming victim to morbid realities.
Well we can prove money exists
What a fantastic theory. Really made me think honestly.
For me and my beliefs I am religious but not traditionally. I have tried to be a Christian but sometimes it doesn't hold at all (and my actions do not reflect my intentions).
However, I don't believe things will ever just end because of a variable that gave meaning to people centuries ago. Things change, they always have changed. People change.
There is something higher than us for sure. Faith is real. But I think we don't quite understand it. I would even say that perhaps people in past millennia were much wiser regarding the question of faith because they weren't as distracted as we are.
Let things be quite. Let yourself be alone. Listen. Be humble and listen. Maybe you'll hear something.
Again, great vid and thank you for making it.
Honesty, so refreshing 🙂
I think Nietzsche is perceived in different ways than he was, and what he also could have meant with what he said. Glad you used the more full quote of what he said, and not just "God is dead" from The Gay Science. For me his reference towards religions goes mainly towards Christianity - this was the theology he studied, the culture he that was dominant in his life. Yes he was a theologian first. He was also a Dionysian. So he did "worship" a "God" Dionysus.
Secularism is not viewed as a religion but the first humanitarian manifest did compare itself, and label itself as a religion. And here is part of the problem; what is a religion, what does the word mean, and what is the narration forced upon this word: Religion?
We think we are talking witht the same words and meanings but often people are not.
I don't know as he worshiped Dionysus, I think he just appreciated him a little more than he appreciated Apollo.
@@TheDionysianFields Words, interpertations, true I can't speak for him and there is no direct information or quote.
Nietzsche first studied theology,
Nietzsche's The Gay Science
Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedies; introducing Apollonian and Dionysian.
Nietzsche's view/interpretations on nihilism. Such a tragic insight into the nature of things can stimulate what Nietzsche called a “Dionysian affirmation of life” - a complete affirmation of the totality of being where the negative and destructive elements are not slandered, explained away, or rejected, but seen as a necessary component of the good, the true, and the beautiful, and therefore as ultimately desirable. This was what he had, call it world view, call it life philosophy, call it worship.
Also at that time religion and church was still the target of getting out from under its yoke. The Chruch represented Apollonian principles in that dominant view. The order of the reality of society, the common people
@@schiffelers3944 It pains me to say this but Nietzsche may have overcompensated in the way that Ayn Rand overcompensated in her crusade against collectivism (to the tune of laissez faire capitalism). I, too, am disgusted by the hyper-rational "Apollonian" world we know today, but I don't see Apollo as being life-negating. Remember that he once chased a mortal girl to the ends of the Earth and loved her even after she turned into a tree. That seems pretty erotic (life-affirming) to me.
Also, rational thought is a great tool for human progress, whereas the Dionysian existence can readily devolve into the quasi-hedonism we see in many subcultures. It's really a question of baby vs. bathwater, and it seems that we've opted for the bathwater in both cases. A pity.
@@TheDionysianFields We could also state that Dionysus was more than just chaos and dis-order. But in this Apollonian vs Dionysian is a little different than literal Apolo and Dionysus/Bacchus. The view is than chaos promotes birth as order promoted restictions. Like the Catholic Church in his analogy with this.
The same can happen with Apolonian -
That is why context are important.
The Abrahamic God's might be the same in theory but not so much in the religious practices.
I am not opting for bathwater.
Enlightenment and rational thought,
we need emotions for decision making.
There needs to be a balance, life is not just black or white, and if it is both it is gray.
Or we use a color vision on the analogy but then we have 3 primary colors RYB, 3 secondary OGP colors and then 6 tertiary colors R-O Y-O, Y-G B-G, R-P B-P, quarternary colors are infinite.
Like numbers and math, and Pythagoreanism.
Or geometry and "kabbalah" of scared geometry.
1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34-55-89-... Fibonacci sequence, and sacred proportions; Phi and the Golden ratio.
The world and real life is a matrix, but not so much just a computer/technological simulation. But more a natural and social matrix.
@@schiffelers3944 We certainly need a balance but what I'm saying is that each of them have both positive AND negative (shadow) aspects, and that it seems the world is working the negative side of both Apollo and Dionysus. Anyway, I do agree that Dionysus is underrepresented and I'm all for a world with more nuance and dynamism...as long as it doesn't lose its capacity for reason.
So many people nowadays only seek to become richer or famous or physically/sexually attractive but none of these could ever compare to the freedom of having a unqiue self-identity and being able to think independently andd critically an ability which seems to have become very scarce in this world's human-society, having gone through multiple Dark Night of the Souls and having become something of an anti-nihilist and omnist (someone who claims no religion, practice or belief but finds truth in them all) who agrees with what Nietzsche had said, has helped me remember to regain and cherish this ability, even though it sometimes made me feel more afraid of losing my individuality and becoming just another faceless wage-slave in this power/money/fame-hungry, capitalistic and superficial/narrow-minded consumerist empire, I'd rather die young to ever prevent that from happening even if I end up disappointing so many people around me. Both either too much or too little religion (or spirituality though it may be albeit somewhat related to religion) in our daily lives.
I always love how Einzelgänger's videos make my day. Sometimes they get me really motivated, other times they make me feel angry, sad or just content...
But anyway, I still have hope and believe in humanity. I know there are still real, genuine people out there with purpose and values even in today's world.
Three things Nietzsche did not understand: 1. Moral psychology shows that we’re moral because we’re human, not because of religion or moral philosophy. 2. The search for “greatness” is fundamentally egotistical and frequently destructive; it’s perfectly fine for life to simply be about living, not some “higher purpose.” 3. It’s ok for people to find meaning in a wide variety of pursuits, even if some choose to find it in things that seem absurd to us. There’s no need for everyone to agree on one central concept of what is meaningful.
I dont think he said that humans don’t contain morals, just that the current modern day conception of morality is based upon religion
Yeah right he was a simple guy after all. Nietzsche is not trying to tell you something. He is trying to do something to you.
Yes I go to festivals as pilgrimage and I'm Dutch. If you ask me, the meaning of life is to give it life ourselves. By being kind, grateful and be the best version of ourselves we can be.
Radio Netherlands broadcasting from Hilversum was also one of the short-wave stations I listened to on my 📻 in the 90's. Most countries have stopped short-wave services. Yahoo shut down Yahoo Messenger. These were integral parts of my life. Both gone. I live by myself at 47 years of age. Thank you for reading me.
A (religious) friend once said to me "if it wasn't for religion, men would be at each others' throats", but I (being agnostic) replied "no, it's exactly BECAUSE of religion that men are at each others' throats". Religion is just an early form of governance (the precursor to political rule), to indoctrinate the masses by coercing them into submission and obeying their 'leaders', using a campaign of fear - nothing more. If humanity was wiped out, then returned in, say, 50 thousand years' time, none of today's religions would exist, only the laws of nature, science and mathematics.
At the moment my personal belief is that we don't necessarily need religion. Instead, we all have a 'church' within us. As long as we believe that there is a greater power guiding our life's path and that there are certain things we cannot control, all we need to do is follow our intuition to live and love other beings as equals.
The void is the most peaceful thing, but not many are able to reach that level of communion.
Nietzsche did not. That's why he was so moody and a sad panda.
I too, believe that the actual problem was not the death of religion, but the absence of a suitable framework to replace it. The ethics and morals that we once derived from religion, and which were almost same for all people, have now been replaced with subjective and individualistic values, and the biggest problem is that even then, the "slave morality", as Nietzsche called it, has not gone entirely but just changed hands. People are now slaves of the government, their own hedonistic tendencies, media etc., and this has led to a kind of Orwellian doublethink where people subconsciously believe in objective, almost cult-like behaviour, but on the outside proclaim themselves as subjective rational thinkers. Not to say that I'm free of it, but the first step in overcoming it is of acknowledgement. When we realise the inconsistencies in our thinking, only then can they be effectively addressed.
To anyone who read this far, I'd like to hear your opinion on this too, and here's a cake 🍰.
I think it's very important in these discussions to contrast personal meaning and grand (or universal) meaning. Also, we need to get over the idea that meaning is an absolute necessity to live life.
The church gave us grand meaning. Yes, it was a cohesive force, but I think people have figured out that much of it was thought up by mortal men whose vision really isn't any better than your own. I remember when I was young there were people at church who claimed they knew the grand meaning, and that I could find it too, but after much mental wrestling, at 64, I now think both were lies. I'm relieved to let the grand meaning be the concern of whatever grand power is out there.
Personal meaning is something you build yourself, and no one cares about it besides yourself and your close friends. You're one of billions. You're likely NOT going to share meaning with a rice farmer on the other side of the globe. Personal meaning is a pre-fabricated ideal equation that you try to cram yourself into. Sometimes the equation is selfless and noble. Oftentimes it is vain. While it can propel one through life, I think for many it is a straightjacket. To always be clawing for meaning is a self-centered pursuit-- an act that in itself leads to perpetual dissatisfaction. People who let go and remain fluid are often happier.
There isn't a grand meaning, but meaning certainly is important. Life is hell a lot of the time. If your aim is to just be "happy" then you are going to be disappointed a lot of the time. Slaving away 9-5 five days a week, cleaning, paying taxes, shopping for mundane things. If you can find some sort of meaning that makes the inevitable suffering and mundanity of being worth bearing, you will have a better life.
@Dannydolan88 Thanks, will look into it.
Appreciating & dabbling in different religions has been a great launchpad to my own personal spiritual journey. So far, its been a phenomenal trip that will likely never end.
Try self determinism.
This is profound. I forwarded it to my bro.
Great video essay as usual. I have since a very long time abandoned following religion. (raised as a christian) I do howevr kept faith in me. I think one of our biggest problems today is not lack of religion but lack of faith, in believing in something greater or divine. We in the west have become obsessed with material things, or things that hold no real spiritual value. I pray everyday and I used many of the religions techings as guidance to do what is good, to kep myself grounded and humble. I believe that not a lot of people understand this, that having faith is not attached to having a religion, but without a moral compass we do seem to have become very mpty of any meaning or purpoise. A jump into the abyss of nihilism.
Why do you pray, and to whom do you pray? Do you expect your prayers to be answered; that the cosmos considers any human plea of importance?
I do not have faith in metaphysics. But I have _trust_ instead. I _trust_ my family & friends know that Iove them. I _truat_ that I'll be able to handle whatever comes. I _trust_ that, maybe, our efforts are not in vain. I trust in what is likely true, and work towards that.
Religion is just the guardrails of Faith!!!! Religion cannot save, only Faith can!!!!;);)🙏🙏🙏
its up to us to define meaning in life for ourselves. anything outside of that is just following someone else's ideas.
Freedom is an inside game. Realize that there is nothing that you have to do and you'll be free. It matters not what the people who make up "society" say.
The atrocities committed in the name of religion or in spite of it, are too long to list. The hard truth that no one wants to see... ultimately, man is man... with or without religion.
Sadly true. Religion is not the cause of bad things, but it is the excuse that many humans use for bad things.
Well they’re shorter than the ones committed against religion (unless you’re talking of Islam).
Communism totally eclipsed religious wars
You mistake religion for people pretending to be the 'sole representatives of the religion'.
@@NERGYStudios Negative. I have intimate first hand experiences with "regular" people of faith serially compromising their moral code for either personal benefit or in an "ends justify the means" sort of paradigm. These "sole representatives" you speak of are merely magnifications of the same by virtue of their power and influence.
"Thou shalt be judged by thy faith but by thy actions"
In my opinion as an agnostic, the best view to have about religion regardless of which one you believe in or stop believing in for that matter.
Depression is an economic problem on two counts:
1) most people work for their employer's purpose rather than their own, in increasingly redundant niches as technology gradually replaces us, providing less and less feeling of agency to make an active, positive difference to the wider world.
2) we do this simply to prop ourselves up in a small day-to-day monotony to earn small pleasures beyond your own basic needs if we can, without this process having any connection to others or any wider community i.e. Individualism.
I think that if the majority of people can move their need for meaning into the phrase 'the world should always be a better place because a man has lived' we can make this work. If we can find our divine in the earth beneath our feet and our fellow human beings and make our purpose serving and nurturing all those around us then we can make this world a better place.
Humans need to be on the same page. We all need a common goal. We have the resources to try to alleviate human suffering and promote creativity and innovation. I don't see why that isn't our goal.
@@michaels_madnessBecause, you can’t have billionaires controlling 99% of the wealth that’s why it’s not “our” priority.
I know of no better life purpose than to perish in attempting the great and impossible.
-Friedrich Nietzche
Should I assume he died attempting the impossible? If not, well talk is cheap.
@@dharmaqueen7877Nietzsche had a mental breakdown in 1889 and spent the last 11 years of his life in the care of an asylum and his family, so, no, he never really had a chance to do that
@macdonald2k I’m not criticizing Nietzsche or his works. I simply made a specific reply to another commenter who seemed curious about the manner of his death
@@gregbors8364 The irony of that would never be lost on me.
@@dharmaqueen7877 Well he wrote that his project was the revaluation of all values. He quit his position as a university professor and travelled around Europe to climates that would alleviate his symptoms. He focused exclusively on his work and produced works of genius. He suffered from debilitating migraines depression and suicidal thoughts. His doctors told him to stop working so hard as he was risking going blind. The most productive years of his life were his last three as his health was deteriorating. The guy was going 100 miles per hour on to a brick wall accelerating towards the end. Maybe your talk is the cheap one kid.
I don't care about struggles, the only struggle we have - death, everything else can be overcomed, humans are capable of a lot of things and i believe that scientists and other people can deal with any problems, the only problem we have is how to invent immortality and made it accessible for everyone, i don't know, maybe other people want to die, but i personally cherish my mind, that's the only thing i have and i don't want to lose it for ever, i don't want to disappear into eternal nothingness, i don't want to lose my self-awareness, i don't want to lose my ability to experience anything, be it my eyes, be it my ears, be it my mouth, be it my skin or emotions/feelings, i don't want to die, i want to exist, i want to live, i have a terrible life and i'm suffering but i don't want to die, that's the only thing i have, and honestly, i'm really unable to comprehend how you're not scared of non-existence and how you're not rejecting it.
To be fair, Nietzsche just predicted the "Faustian World" we live in now. We depend on our technologies so much that we have been stained by them. We traded our soul, i.e our spiritual link with the world, for cheap short bursts of frugal happiness.
And we are so desperately attached to them that our very existence begins to plummet inside it. I do not have any social media to speak of, and only use youtube. I do know of my dire "connection" problem with people, be that of work or relationships, as all people have migrated to the new church of social media. However, being a millennial, I can notice how every topic my group of friends is mediated by social media. How their opinions are molded by social media. And how their memories are not from the experiences they have seen, but what they posted.
By opening the immense pandora box of social media. We have become the short man. We made our world incredibly little. So tiny in fact that our existence is meaningless.
Everyone uses a phone all the time as some sort of amulet, right ?
I've been following your teachings for a long time that's why I'm saying I have faith that you have a solution to what you're saying you're not just saying the problem
I don't think that depression rising in the younger generations is solely contributed to a religious decline, and maybe this wasn't the point of that statement but it seemed implied to me, I think rather the couple of factors that attribute to this rise could more realistically be that depression is more understood and defined in both children and adults, as well as the general public being more aware and valuing mental health, so that is my first reason why that may be the case, because it is easier to define and recognize and we have more poeple actually looking for it and wanting to detect it, the second is regardless of a religious position, we are more aware of global problems and suffering than we have been before, on top of that, discovering these truths can be crushing or depressing to a young growing mind, especially when a mind is developing under this information where personality is being formed, for example, many say we are all going to die or the world is ending, for one reason or another, and being ignorant of any other more positive information can lead to a sense of nihilism from the fact that bad news is shared more often, better, and louder in our world today whether it be for attention or monetary gains, I say that these reasons probably go hand in hand with the current rise of a negative outlook, but not all of it is true or accurate
For example, poeple have been saying the world is going to end since antiquity, they have been wrong for antiquity, this is not to say it is not possible, and it's a fair objection to say that trends and data cannot predict the future and only reference the past, but a lot of current ideas do not hold up to world ending scenarios
Ai is not developed enough to hurt us, it is far from that and ChatGPT is too expensive to run anyway, there are too many people scared with it for it to get powerful, currently the best ai are ones that are task specific, as a general intelligence is not that intelligent, especially in a business sense
Climate change is probably going to millions if not billions of people, and it's not my place to say who gets to die, but it is not an existential threat because climate change will not exterminate every human, life will go on, however it is to note that underdeveloped countries will probably fall into collaspe, like I said, devastating but not absolute
We know what astroroids are in our solar system, at least the majority, and especially the larger ones that could pose a threat, but none do
Nuclear threats are serious, but not a problem, at least for most countries, I think this falls under tye same conditions between asteroids and climate change, where if it did I don't think we would go extinct, but currently political pressure keeps anyone from using them, the most belligerent is north Korean for sure, but they have 1, and it is used as a invasion detterent and pinternal political power projection than anything else
Biological threats are not that severe anymore, especially with the science we have, if their was an extinction possibility from a disease, it would have to be literally the perfect match of spreading and killing every host it infects (which is not what a disease wants to do to survive or multiply) and it would have to combat the global effort in fighting it, which covid-19 was sought out and explored more throughly and faster than any disease before it given the technology and people we have today
Also what's so bad about nihilism? I have many existential nihilistic frameworks but I'm not breaking down? Can't you just be an optimistic nihilistic for a change? Everyone talks about the mainstream nihilism and stereotype, but this is what happens when you do it wrong in my opinion, with nihilism you get more freedom in thought,and your actions, but it doesn't have to mean that one's sense of self and morality is thrown out the window! I love nietche, and I understand his concerns you laid in the video, but I think the problem is developing before that sense of nihilism is hit honestly, I don't think that it bad to find out your values are abstractions, or even foundationless, that is a good thing, it is more truthful, the problem is that a person is being raised in a world that tells them that meaning is valuable in the first place, so when it is challenged and ultimately destroyed, that's where this sense of fragility and depression may strive from, not the fact that it is sad that what one thought is wrong and they based that for their life choices and other values, no, it's more sad that this assumption was drilled into them, but never being truly tested, and even sadder that one may not even get the chance to challenge this belief authentically, you talked about the slave mentality, but I recognize a slave to an assumption that infected society, and the individual, I am challenging that we don't need meaning to do great things, meaninglessness does not take away the facts of our world, pointlessness doesn't take away the happiness unless you were raised to think that happy things must have a point or be a point in themselves, it is absurd to me
But maybe I'm wrong, idk
I think the best route for modern western society is a return to ancient philosophy like Epicureanism and Stoicism. Humanity flourished prior to monotheism and we are perfectly capable of doing after its decline.
the last thing that keeps me from going crazy is nature and doing creative work
Throwing in this perspective, I would argue that we have replaced God with the Market. Instead of asking what would Jesus/religious figure would do, the new question is how will the market react?
just because you choose not to believe in religion doesn't mean you quit being kind person that wants to help humanity.
I've seen a lot of religious Christians who are terrible people who think otherwise because they believe in a book about doing good.
Exactly. To say that religion unites different nationalities who don’t even speak the same language dismisses the basis of their unity. Religious groups never practice unconditional love and acceptance. They unite to judge and punish those who don’t adhere to their faith and rules, and has been the cause of violence and oppression throughout the world. We can have morals without it, and are better off.
@@PoissonDemiVide Well said!
I was raised with religion, then became an athiest for over a decade, then science brought me back to a creator.
The problem of modern society is isolation and the difficulty of establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships as each person drifts in and out. There is nothing concrete you can count on.
That’s why a well adjusted, normal family that is supportive is so important.
Humanity is constantly progressing and evolving. Abandoning religion is just another step. Any Nihilism that may result is just a temporary phase that must be passed through on the path of our collective potential.
On an individual basis, there are many for whom religion offers no comfort or answers. Keep asking questions and eventually you are told you need to just choose to believe it, even if it doesn’t make sense.
If you look deep enough you will realize though that no one knows what they are doing or for what purpose 🤷♂️
I think meaning starts with accepting that human beings are weird animals with a lot of conflicting emotions. If we all accept this weirdness we can accept ourselves. At the same time i think everybody feels a connection with nature when they spend time there, this bond predates religion. Finally, sharint your true feelings and emotions with the people around you invites them to also open up leading to deeper connection. I think these three pillars: accepting our weirdness/conflicted emotions, opening up to others and spending time in nature are what brings sufficient meaning. All other things are distractions, not necessarily a bad thing but they should not neglect/hide the three pillars. I for one really enjoy listening to music (as it triggers different emotions) and working out (again, this triggers different emotions, especially running/mtb in the woods)