Steps to Attaining the overhuman PDF

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Macey Zemel Prof. Gregory Polakoff Humanities 101 December 3, 2019 The Steps to Attaining the Overhuman Friedrich Nietzsche in Thus Spoke Zarathustra explores the concept of the overhuman; a higher human state that is capable to become their own God and have no attachment to a metaphysical realm. Nietzsche thoroughly explains how to attain this state of overcoming through three steps. Firstly, humans must possess qualities shown in the tightrope walker, specifically his ability to engage in self-sacrifice and his passion for earthly activities. Additionally, they must renounce God and “[remain] faithful to the earth”. Lastly, humans must become a destroyer of stale values in order to become a creator of new ones. The first step to attaining the overhuman, is possessing certain qualities of the tightrope walker. Nietzsche highlights two admirable qualities that the tightrope walker had: his ability to engage in self-sacrifice and his passion for earthly activities. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the tightrope walker is a representation of a man “tied between beast and overman” (Nietzsche 126). He is “a bridge and not an end” and “an overture and a going under” (Nietzsche 127). Nietzsche demonstrates that the tightrope walker has the ability to attain the overhuman. His embrace of risk and danger in order to do something he is passionate about, allows him to transform and become something greater of himself. As he walks on the rope, he is crossing over to a new beginning, the beginning of a new life as an overhuman. When the tightrope walker is about to die and he worries about

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going to hell, Nietzsche tells him, “You have made danger your vocation; there is nothing contemptible in that” (Nietzsche 132). This quotation shows that the tightrope walker should not have to worry about going to hell as sacrificing his life to do something he loves is far from worthless. He took risks and challenged his limits, therefore, he has the qualities to move ahead and “build a house for [himself]” (Nietzsche 127). Nietzsche uses Zarathustra’s admiration for the tightrope walker as a way to encourage humans to embrace new qualities in order to transform and attain the overhuman. The second step to attaining the overhuman is the renunciation of God. Nietzsche states that humans must “remain faithful to the earth and [to] not believe those who speak to [them] of otherworldly hopes” (Nietzsche 125). Nietzsche emphasizes the importance of being self-reliant. Since “God is dead”, Nietzsche is trying to get humans to break away from the metaphysical realm and to focus on the earth, a representation of reality. In order to become the overhuman, humans must not need comfort from God. They must be able to do everything by themselves and become their own God. Nietzsche claims “to sin against the earth is now the most dreadful thing” (Nietzsche 125). Nietzsche wants humans to see the true importance of the earth. He thinks that believing in a world beyond them, a world they do not understand, will gain them nothing. Therefore, Nietzsche wants humans to come back to reality and devote their time to improving the earth, a world they can understand. The powerful statement: “the overman is the meaning of the earth” (Nietzsche 125) demonstrates that in order to find meaning in the world humans must overcome themselves. It is, therefore, with the renunciation of God that allows humans to truly transform and “go under” (Nietzsche 127).

Zemel 3 Lastly, the final step to attaining the overhuman is becoming a destroyer and a creator. “Behold the good and the just! Whom do they hate most? The man who breaks their table of values, the breaker, the lawbreaker; yet he is the creator” (Nietzsche 135). According to Nietzsche, relying too much on god has brought human’s spiritual evolution to a halt. The system of values humans are using are stale. God and everything with god is dead and therefore, they are not profiting from it anymore; they are not getting stronger. The act of destroying and creating come hand in hand. Therefore, Nietzsche is encouraging humans to destroy stale values in order to create new beneficial ones. “Destroyers they will be called, and despisers of good and evil. But they are the harvesters and those who celebrate” (Nietzsche 136). Throughout Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche is encouraging humans to overcome themselves, to attain the overhuman. A major part of attaining this state is not only breaking away from God, but also breaking away from stale values. Therefore, Nietzsche is trying to give the word destroyer a positive connotation. He wants humans to realize that the act of destroying allows for them to create a world for the overhuman, a world they can benefit from. Humans must, therefore, embrace change. They must rely on themselves to destroy and create in order to become their own God. In conclusion, the overhuman is all about being self-reliant. It is a person who does not need comfort from God, a person that can do everything for himself. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche gives insight on how to attain the overhuman. Firstly, a person must be able to embrace risk and danger as well as find passion in the world. Secondly, a person must renounce God and focus on reality, the earth. Lastly, a

Zemel 4 person must accept change and be able to destroy values to then create new ones. Overall, the overhuman allows humans to become their own God and find meaning in the world.

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Works Cited Nietzsche, Friedrich. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Trans. Kaufmann, Walter. The Portable Nietzsche. New York: Penguin, 1976. Print....