Week 23 - "Stay not where the lowlands are! Climb not into the sky! The world looks best by far when viewed from halfway high.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
Ever since I heard this quote a couple of weeks ago, it’s been on my mind as I try to figure out what Nietzche meant.
In one way, I see it as a suggestion to find a balance between the importance of everything as well as the unimportance of everything. That is, at a micro level, everything matters so much to who we are as individuals, but at the macro level, nothing matters at all.
Yet, I cannot help but wonder if Nietzsche was warning us against fixating on an elusive notion of the"sky." Many of us relentlessly pursue forms of success, striving to ground ourselves firmly on the ladder leading toward these heavens. Perhaps Nietzsche's point lies in acknowledging that true success lies halfway up that ladder.
Yet, I find myself unsettled by the notion. It’s as if someone were telling me that the ideal position lies in the middle—between failure and success. But if I take a step back, I think I can see why Nietzche says this.
One concept I’ve been exploring in my writing and life is that the line that defines success is always moving forward. However, this also means that the threshold for failure moves forward. Consequently, the "halfway high" that Nietzsche suggests we seek also progresses, adapting to our changing circumstances.
Because of this, I can see how the “middle” isn’t necessarily the place to aim for, but both the ideal and most practical place to be. The most ideal because of what Nietzche says— we can appreciate everything we have as well as aim for more. And the most practical because just like failure and success, it’s always moving forward with us. It makes sense that as we progress, we’ll perceive what we do and don’t want differently as well as where we are.
I’ll always be trying to climb into the sky, but knowing I’ll always be halfway there is something I hope to always keep in mind.
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Another take on the three sentences in his quote:
1. Never give up on your goals
2. Never settle, keep pushing for more
3. Enjoy the journey, that is where you'll be most of your life
IS THIS THING ON???? I feel like what he's ultimately saying is to appreciate where you're at. "Halfway there" implies that you're a considerable distance from your starting point, but you still have a ways to go – and what better place to be? You don't lack the motivation to begin taking the steps to achieve your goals (because you already have begun taking those steps), AND you still see your objective through rose-tinted glasses BECAUSE you have yet to achieve it. Being present in our present (!) social climate is difficult and, in fact, disincentivized in many ways. We are either looking backward or forward (and are encouraged to do so through various forms of media and because of...capitalism), but never down at our feet and the ground on which they currently stand. I think Nietzsche is encouraging us to appreciate what we would otherwise perhaps perceive as a transition period, as in his view this is the best place to be. Whether or not that's true is a different conversation, but I certainly value the sentiment of appreciating where you're at. I'm so bored at work k bye