Nietzsche’s Concept of ‘Amor fati’ and How It Can Transform Our Perception of Life

BY NAZ KARADEDE

“I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things; then I shall be one of those who makes things beautiful. Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth!” – FriedrichNietzsche

Pain, suffering, loss we are all destined to experience hardship and struggle to a certain degree in our lives. The complexity of our relationships with others, the unpredictability of human life, and the fickleness of human nature all make suffering and pain inevitable; an unavoidable part of what it means to be human and what it means to be alive. However, centuries of technological advancement and scientific progress have made life easier and more efficient, reducing some of the greatest sources of pain and suffering such as illness and extremepoverty.Despitethis,studieshave shown that humans, as a whole, are not happier than they were a few centuries ago. But what is the cause of this continuation of pain and suffering? And how can we change our mind-set to alleviate it? Nietzsche’s timeless philosophy of ‘amor fati’ can help provide uswithvaluableanswerstotheseenduring questions.

Context and background on Nietzsche’s concept of‘amorfati’

Nietzsche’s concept of ‘amor fati’ was largelyinspiredand devised in responseto the pessimistic philosophy of the German idealist and philosopher Arthur Schopenhaur. German idealism was a school of thought that emerged in philosophy at the end of the 18th Century in response to the materialism, rationalism, and anti-metaphysical worldview of the Enlightenment. According to Schopenhauer, the universe and everything in it is driven by a single, monist principle – a willto live. This will to live manifests itself in living beings as a desire for self-perseverance and selfsubsistence.

Sincethewillultimatelyhasnoendgoalor purpose, its complete satisfaction is impossible. The attainment of a desire does provide satisfaction, whereas the frustration of its attainment results in suffering.However,forSchopenhauer,this satisfaction is fleeting and temporary, given that it is readily replaced by another desire,whichresultsinsufferingagainuntil that desire is attained. This recurring cycle of desiring, attaining, and then desiring again means that existence is characterisedbyconstantsuffering.Whilst thiscycleafflictsallofnature,humanbeing possess intellectual capabilities which render them uniquely more conscious and aware of their suffering. This, in turn, magnifiesourdegreeofsuffering.

Schopenhauer’s philosophy remains relevant today. The capitalist-consumerist culture that we are constantly exposed to through advertising has instilled in us desires for products that we neither need, nor derive any additional value from. We feel a sense of artificial satisfaction when we attain these objects, which lasts only untilwestartdesiringthenextnewiPhone, sports car, or expensive house. Schopenhauer advises transcending this state of constant desire and avoiding suffering through rational asceticism, a limitation of all desires and indulgences, much like the religious ascetics of the preEnlightenmentperiod.

Nietzsche’sresponsetoSchopenhauerand ‘amor fati’

Whilst Nietzsche agrees with Schopenhauer that existence is characterised by periods of prolonged suffering,hecriticiseshismentorforbeing too nihilistic and pessimistic in his approach toit. He rejects the idea that we should negate our desires because they cause us suffering. Instead, he proposes that we should affirm all aspects of life, including the pain, the hardships, and the struggles that we face. For without pain and suffering, we would not be able to appreciate the moments of happiness and contentment that we experience in life.

“What is happiness?” he asks, but “the feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome.” It is the feeling that we have when we overcome the resistance to our desires, and thereby, sufferingthataccompaniesit.

Desiring, and suffering, for Nietzsche, are unavoidable and necessary in life; unavoidable because we are all bound to experience them in our lives, and necessary,forwithoutthem,wewouldnot be able to learn, grow, and be happy. Nietzsche proposes acceptance of this reality as a part of our fate. “My formula forgreatnessinahumanbeingis amorfati: thatonewantsnothingtobedifferent,not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Notmerelybearwhatisnecessary,stillless conceal it, but love it,” he says. What he means is that we should not only bear our desires and the suffering that they cause us, which are necessary to our fate, but alsolearntolovethem.Weshouldlearnto love our fate as it is, without striving to negate our desires and escape suffering. That is the meaning of the widely-quoted phrase “amor fati”: love of one’s fate, as it isandasawhole.

How the philosophy of ‘amor fati’ can transformourlives

‘Amor fati’ is at its core a philosophy of affirmation. Affirming all the occurrences of life, including suffering. Humans, to Nietzsche,arebeingsthatcreatetheirown values and thus meaning in life. He rejects the idea that we are bound by a priori moral values prescribed by religious and social conventions. And one of the values that we should strive to include in our system of moral values is affirmation: affirming all the occurrences in one’s life, including the bad. At first sight, this philosophy does not seem appear to be radicalortransformative.Butimaginehow impactful it can be once we start applying it in our daily lives. If we start viewing the suffering,resistance,andobstaclesthatwe faceasnecessarytoourfate,andaffirming themassuch,wecanfocusonovercoming theminsteadofcondemningthem.Wecan become far more resilient and content if wedoso.Theseobstaclescanbeassimple assolvingapettyquibblewitharelative,or asdifficultascompetinginanelection.The philosophyof‘amorfati’cantransformour lives by transforming our attitude towards it. All we need, as Nietzsche says, is the courage to see what is beautiful in that whichisnecessary.

References:

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Wolin, R. (n.d.). Continental philosophy | Definition, Examples, Characteristics, Summary,&Facts|Britannica.

InternetEncyclopediaofPhilosophy.(n.d.). Schopenhauer, Arthur | Internet EncyclopediaofPhilosophy.

Doorn, M. van (2019). Friedrich Nietzsche On The Secret Ingredient For Happiness. [online]TheUnderstandingProject.

Friedrich Nietzsche (2004). Ecce Homo. PenguinUK.