 "Nietzsche’s Eternal Return - The Mindset That Forces Radical Clarity In Life" by Postanly Weekly |
"Friedrich Nietzsche, the controversial philosopher, proposes a thought experiment to design your ideal life. He called it the eternal recurrence.” If you had to relive your entire life, every joy and sorrow, every triumph and defeat, for eternity? Would you still choose the path you’re on? Nietzsche thought it was the path to meaning, fulfilment and life satisfaction. It got me thinking about my life trajectory. I’ve been using it to derail autopilot living. Nietzsche asks: “If, in all that you do, you begin by asking yourself: am I certain that I would wish to do this an infinite number of times? This should be for you the most solid centre of gravity.” He argues that this principle should come from identifying what truly brings you joy and fulfilment - the activities you wouldn’t hesitate to repeat for all eternity.
Nietzsche explains: “If, in all that you wish to do, you begin by asking yourself: am I certain that I would wish to do this an infinite number of times? This should be for you the most solid centre of gravity . . . My doctrine says, the task is to live your life in such a way that you must wish to live it again — for you will anyway! If striving gives you the highest feeling, then strive! If rest gives you the highest feeling, then rest! If fitting in, following and obeying give you the highest feeling, then obey! Only make sure you come to know what gives you the highest feeling, and then spare no means.”
If your life were stretched infinitely before you as an endless loop of your choices, actions, and experiences, would you be content now, looking back at it? That is the essence of Friedrich Nietzsche’s disturbing question: “Am I certain that I would wish to do this an infinite number of times?” His question cuts through the noise and forces us to ponder what we are doing with our lives. After all, what you do is how you live. The infinite loop metaphor is a powerful tool for self-reflection. Think about the long-term consequences of your choices.
Nietzsche illustrates eternal recurrence as a thought experiment in his final book, "Ecce Homo: How One Becomes What One Is": “What if some day or night a demon were to steal into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: “This life as you now live and have lived it you will have to live once again and innumerable times again; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unspeakably small or great in your life must return to you, all in the same succession and sequence - even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself…”
Would a life filled with fleeting pleasures but devoid of meaning hold up under the weight of eternity? Would a path of autopilot living be fulfilling, or would it leave you exhausted and yearning for something more?
“I myself belong to the causes of eternal recurrence. I come again, with this sun, with this earth, with this eagle, with this serpent - not to a new life or a better life or a similar life: - I eternally come again to this identical and selfsame life, in the greatest and even in the smallest, so that I again teach the eternal recurrence of all things.” — "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"
The infinite loop principle isn’t just about the future; it can also inform how you view your past. Examining past choices through the lens of “Would I do this again?” means gathering wisdom from the past to inform your future decisions. Did a particular path lead you closer to your “highest feeling”, or did it leave you feeling miserable? Retrospective analysis helps refine your internal values and guide your path to your ideal life.
Nietzsche’s quote challenges us to find our own “highest feeling,” the core value that drives our actions and brings us the deepest sense of satisfaction. Is it the thrill of constant striving, losing yourself in a book, life work, the peace of quiet contemplation, or the comfort of belonging?
So, how does this translate into building a great life? Here’s where Nietzsche’s philosophy gets interesting. Identify activities, tasks and experiences that make you feel truly alive. What activities do you lose yourself in, forgetting time and the world around you? He doesn’t prescribe a one-size-fits-all path. There’s no right or wrong answer - the best life is the one that aligns with your deepest values.
“If striving gives you the highest feeling, then strive!” he writes. Are you wired for self-challenge and growth? Embrace that drive! “If rest gives you the highest feeling, then make time for rest!” Do you find peace and clarity in slowing down? Indulge in it! If pursuing your present goal brings out the worst in you, it might be time to re-evaluate whether it truly sparks your “highest feeling.” The key is discovering what truly matters to you: everything contributing to your self-becoming. “Become who you are!” Nietzsche said.
If we consciously choose activities that align with our core values and reflect the life we want, we wouldn’t mind if they’re stuck on repeat because they guarantee flow (the merging of action and consciousness). Intentional living becomes your “solid centre of gravity,” a guiding principle that keeps you grounded despite an infinite loop.
“I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things; then I shall be one of those who make things beautiful. Amor fati [love of fate]: let that be my love henceforth! I do not want to wage war against what is ugly. I do not want to accuse; I do not even want to accuse those who accuse. Looking away shall be my only negation. And all in all and on the whole: someday I wish to be only a Yes-sayer.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
Striving for activities you’d be happy to repeat eternally means shifting your focus to deliberate, personal actions that align with your ideal present and future. The point isn’t to achieve a goal but to relish the experience or activity itself.
Key takeaway? Life, in its raw experience, is a one-shot deal. We don’t get do-overs. Every choice and every action has a ripple effect that shapes our reality. An infinite replay helps us focus on what truly matters - building a life that resonates with our deepest selves. Find your “highest feeling” through an “experience” or “activity” experiment. Explore different paths. And build a life that resonates with your real self, a life you wouldn’t hesitate to live again, eternally.
“No one can construct for you the bridge upon which precisely you must cross the stream of life, no one but you yourself alone,” says Nietzsche. Reevaluate all the actions, habits, activities, and experiences that have become the engine of your life. Ask yourself, “Am I certain I would wish to do this an infinite number of times?” Subtract what doesn’t spark joy and keep doing more of what makes life meaningful. It’s how you live with little or no regrets."
Moody Blues, "Eternity Road"
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