Analysis Of Nietzsche's Neurosis As A Failure Of Life

700 Words2 Pages

In eastern cultures, spiritual practices such as yoga and mindfulness meditation have long been considered beneficial. Up until recently, the same was not true for the west. These practices are burgeoning here and will probably continue to do so well into the foreseeable future. They, in conjunction with an environmentally conscious mindset, address a pungent problem of our time. That is, namely, our schizoid relationship with the rest of the Earth’s biosphere and our relationships with others as well as those within ourselves. These transpire due to the depersonalization, alienation, and isolation that pervade the postmodern era and which directly contribute to the raping and pillaging of the Earth’s natural resources. In his article, Neurosis as a Failure of Growth, Abraham Maslow asks very pertinent questions regarding how we should live. Firstly, he asks very rudimentary yet pungent questions such as: “ what is normal, what is healthy” (Maslow, 1971)? Later, these questions, which Maslow deems “arbitrary,” culminates in the …show more content…

If people set the übermensch as the ultimate goal for themselves, they would, of course, compete amongst themselves to obtain that goal, whereby people would most likely begin modelling themselves after those people who seem closest to that goal. Does that sound familiar?
Others, too then, who do not share in the aspiration of ushering in the übermensch are seen as odd and are ‘othered.’ Various studies and world events since Nietzsche’s time demonstrate what happens whenever people share in the same, competitive aim or task--the stanford experiment and the rise of the Nazi party, in Germany, are some of the most ominous

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