[My Thoughts Added] Superman (Übermensch)

...just something interesting i read.
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Friedrich Nietzsche's Übermensch has undergone one of the most astonishing of high to low culture transformations–from stoic, unconventional man to man of Steel. The comic-strip creation of Siegel and Shuster has little to do with Nietzsche's original aside from the name, and even that's a little off. Übermensch literally means "overman", not "superman", though the latter is used in the earliest English translations of Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and it was picked up by George Bernard Shaw for Man and Superman.

The character who preaches the "overman" is Zarathustra (a.k.a. Zoroaster), a Persian prophet of the sixth century B.C. who serves as Nietzsche's prophetic/poetic mask. Contrary to what you might think, Zarathustra isn't talking about a muscle-bound super intellect or any other "evolved" specimen of humanity. In fact, we all (mensch is gender neutral) are potential overmen. What it takes is not more workouts or smart drinks, but courage and will, for our biggest obstacles are fear and custom.

At the base of Nietzsche's concept is what he refers to as "the will to power", which he sees as the basic motivating force of all living things. "Power" doesn't mean brute force, or domination of others, but something more like "fearlessness." Since we're primarily motivated by the will to power. Such (Nietzsche asserts) are self-harmony, self-control, and self-realization–exemplified, for example, by Socrates' calmly downing the cup of hemlock.

By and large, we fall way short of this Übermensch ideal. Far from being possessed of ourselves, we are motivated mostly by fear, habit, superstition, resentment, and everything else that makes up the "slave mentality." From birth, we are trained by family, church, and school to submit to rules and laws, act normal, believe superstitions, and enslave ourselves to various masters. Everything chalked up to "human nature" is really just custom. We grow both lazy and fearful of challenge and danger, numb to the stirrings of the inner conscience.

A world without customs or masters is frightening, but the alternative is slavery and alienation. We may give in to society, or we may conquer our fear and become creators rather than mere creatures. Creation is making one's own meaning of the world, which is in reality chaotic and ever changing; to be a creature is to submit to others' meanings. All language, in Nietzsche's view, is a more or less inspired interpretation, a kind of "lie." If language lies, one is better off–truer to onself–making up one's own falsehoods. This is what it means to be "overman."

What it does not mean is to become just another slavemaster. Tyranny is the result not of self-mastery, but of frustration: It is simply the expression of more resentment. The overman, rather, lives life without resentment, and is in fact ready, if the situation requires, to serve as well as to lead. (For the rest of us, service just seems like slavery.) By controlling his passions and channeling his will, the overman creates art and philosophy, affirming life and laughter and all good things.
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my thoughts:
the last paragraph is the one that i agree the most. i don't see myself as an overman, but i do like to serve ppl. i ONLY lead when it is needed. i'm not a good leader. i'm still learning. my goal is to be an art director, so i gotta know how to lead at tht point, and of course serve as well. being a leader like president or king, i WILL not like it. too many responsibilities, and too 'uptight'. every move, things you say, and stuff you do are being monitored. i guess i can't be a celebrity as well cause tht's like being the 'president/king of entertainment biz'. i rather be a normal person tht follows 'a' leader. not blindly though. i will still have my own thoughts and my way to deal with things. i like working 'behind the scene'. i don't mind serving as long as the person or situation i serve appriciates it. if not, i'll put it as 'their' lost!

i'm happy almost all the time. i have little resentment, only on ppl who does not know his/her action will cause another person's misery. ppl who doesn't appreciate of what he/she has, and try to own the person or anything only to his/her own benefit without consideration of the opposite (for a person in this case) thoughts/feeling. i like to make ppl happy, and to let ppl know how to make other ppl happy. to tell them when other ppl is happy, you will be happy too.

(gosh..is tht clear?)


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