#overcoming

At 43, he earned a 4.0 while double-majoring in Sociology and Social Welfare. Now he’s headed to Columbia University for his Master’s.

From the streets to the stage at Berkeley. This is what Black excellence and resilience look like. 👏🏽🔥

Go get it King!!!

Skyward - Ascension of Defiance

I rose through flame and chain and silence.

Not as apology.

Not as proof.

But as prophecy fulfilled.

I shattered what tried to hold me,

and stood in the smoke

Friedrich Nietzsche had been one of my favourite philosophers of all time. His words, in my opinion, reflects a lot of the inner conflicts and challenges every individual has to go through, especially in the modern age where it is quite difficult to focus on personal growth and individuality.

Nietzsche's philosophy has deeply inspired me to go on a journey of self-improvement and acceptance. He taught me how to build my personal values and not take things for granted; to be sceptical and questioning, especially in a society where it is very difficult due to the amount of influence and stimulation which urges us to listen and conform instead of rebel.

As someone who had a childhood deeply rooted in trauma, his idea of the Ubermensch taught me how to overcome my fears and embrace them, rather than oppose them. I learnt that struggle and pain is an experience which gives us an opportunity to grow, that it is not merely the end, but the start of something anew.

Unfortunately, Nietzsche is almost always misunderstood for people who do not spend much time delving into the depths of his philosophy, merely labelling him as either a nihilist, or worse, a facist and a symbol of Nazi ideology- even though he himself was fiercely anti-antisemitic, anti-nationalist, and would strongly oppose the ideals of this totalitarian power.

Nietzsche was not a nihilist. He was rather the opposite. In this works Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Beyond Good and Evil, he challenged traditional values and advocated a new form of life in accordance with the Will to Power, an everlasting force within us which motivates us to strive and conquer. Instead of hiding from a chaotic world, we must face it, and show the world how powerful we truly are, in Eternal Recurrence- living as if our lives will repeat over and over for eternity.

Friedrich Nietzsche had been one of my favourite philosophers of all time. And he still is, for a good reason. As a soul who had been touched by merely pen and paper; I am eternally, and rebelliously grateful for what I had discovered within me through his guidance.

I hope this post has inspired you, piqued your interest in Nietzsche, or simply made you smile.

-Val

Goodbye Blues

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