German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously declared, “Whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” Christopher Hitchens
i am not sure exactly what Christopher Hitchens actually concludes about Nietzsche’s famous saying.
i know that i disagree with Nietzsche.
the saying lands up there with “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me.” what does not kill me makes me bitter, cynical, resentful, sad, depressed, loathe of people – unless i find some way to deal with the pain and suffering. ‘stronger’ for the most part means ‘having created a shell around oneself as protection against pain’. people who claim that they are not hurt by what others say to them, however vicious are lying to you and to themselves. they have adopted an attitude of arrogance, a brave face behind which they are smarting from the stings of insults and put-downs just as much as you and me. however, they are too weak to admit to the imagined ‘weakness’ of feeling hurt and harmed, and therefore declare their ‘strength’. their ‘strength’ is just a pretense.
words do hurt. hurtful words delivered with physical violence are doubly hurtful and harmful. they kill the soul. not as quickly and cleanly as drunk driver or an armed robber might. they kill slowly, insidiously and horribly. it works like the poison hemlock Socrates was sentenced to drink.
as we are ‘raised’ on the idea of “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me.” and “whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” we are raised to deny and feel bad about being hurt by what others say. so we sign our own emotional and spiritual death-warrants and cover ourselves in layer upon layers of imagined strength that is nothing but window-dressing for a bleeding heart and soul, slowly growing cold and rigid.
What Christopher Hitchens thinks is about the same as you do.
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/01/hitchens-201201
“Reviewing familiar principles and maxims in the face of mortal illness, Christopher Hitchens has found one of them increasingly ridiculous: “Whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” Oh, really?”
Exactly…
I suppose Nietzsche wasn’t talking about his syphilis, because it did kill him…
On the other hand… does my fibromyalgia make me stronger?
Strong in what sense?
It makes me realize how lucky I used to be, how wonderful and easy my life was and regret for wasting the opportunity… now that I cannot, I wish I had when I could…
but also it makes me appreciate what I still can do. It makes me take life easier, in smaller steps, it forces me to become a turtle… and face the reality. I cannot fantasize when I’m in pain. I’m in here and now 100%.
It makes me acutely aware of the limits of human life, but also aware of the amazing possibilities life still has.
It also teaches me compassion, even though it makes me grumpy and grouchy.
It teaches me gratitude… even though I hate being helpless and vulnerable and exposed and at the mercy of people, it never stops amazing me how kind and generous and helpful people are… not abusing my vulnerability, not taking advantage of me, not expecting me to pay for the services… you do it because you love me, and there are no words to express my gratitude for that.
oh, thank you – just couldn’t make heads and tails of his opinion – the article was really long…♥hug♥.
yes. i guess one has to define “stronger”, to make an accurate assessment.
i fear that my own experiences have not been as positive as as yours. – while i am certainly grateful for those people in my life who have stood by me in tough trials (and i have had them) i can feel the emotional and spiritual hemlock creeping through my veins.
for you, i hope i can stay soft and warm, and yes, i do love you, warts and all (especially the warts, i think
), as for the rest of humanity, i’d rather stay in my den.