Nietzsche’s Will to Suffering | The Gay Science

We usually see suffering as a bad thing, especially when we’re going through it. Regardless, suffering is a part of life that we have and will continue to encounter. However, instead of looking at suffering with disdain, Nietzsche sees suffering as a deeply personal aspect of your life that makes joy even possible.
Nietzsche starts by acknowledging that suffering is a very personal experience and others cannot fully comprehend the state of our suffering. This calls into question concepts like empathy and makes us ask if we can really fully empathize with another’s suffering. Perhaps we can partially, but what about fully? It doesn’t seem like Nietzsche thinks so.
Next, Nietzsche sees a relationship between suffering and joy as necessary opposites. It’s similar to the conception of yin/yang in that the two exist together and are dependent upon one another. We might be able to see what he’s talking about when we think about the trials we go through in our lives to reach an end goal. We typically tend to cherish those joys and achievements in life that require work and suffering as opposed to easy luck. At the very least, we might say that too much joy will lessen the significance of that joy. Regardless, Nietzsche wants us to question our previous assumptions about suffering and try to see the experience in a more positive light. #philosophy #nietzsche #existentialism