*This would be in line with the Conan the Barbarian approach to life. But, maybe it's worth pointing out that poor Friedrich had a mental breakdown at age 44 and died at age 55. He liked to write about the over-heated concept of the "Super-Man," but it turns out he was a sensitive, frail, and vulnerable human being just like the rest of us.
"Friedrich Nietzsche's disease consisted of migraine, psychiatric disturbances, cognitive decline with dementia, and stroke. Despite the prevalent opinion that neurosyphilis caused Nietzsche's illness, there is lack of evidence to support this diagnosis. Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) accounts for all the signs and symptoms of Nietzsche's illness."
At the same time, I do think we Human Beings are all quite remarkably resilient. And I take Friedrich's line as a supreme affirmation of our spirit of resilience. Maybe it's a bit of a bluff, but maybe its a useful one too? It is amazing how Human Beings carry on from life-altering illness, trauma, tragedy, maiming, losing limbs and other body parts, etc. The will to carry on and to live is strong in our species.
"What doesn’t kill you just makes you crazier..." - Nick Cave
Yes. This rings true to me. We are all on a crazy-making journey, and everything that happens makes us crazy in our own unique and special ways. So, yes, everything that happens to us, happens to us, and that helps determine who we are; not only by what happens to us, but how, and if, we deal with it all. Like they tell us, it's all a test of character.
We all become character actors at some point in our lives.
I tested Covid-Negative today. It does seem like some kind of victory. Just to survive. My body and my mind took in, and took on, that nasty virus, and it seems to have run it's course, and like that old Timex commercial so memorably put it, I am another entity that can gladly claim: "Takes a licking keeps on ticking!" Whew!
