Nietzsche or Christ
I went to a liberal arts college. Even though my degree was in Mathematics and Secondary Education, I was required to take courses from a variety of subjects to graduate. This is the either the drawback, or blessing that comes from a liberal arts college, depending on how you look at it. Well, one of the classes I took was titled Intro to Existentialism.
As I recall (it was over 40 years ago), the class consisted of reading short stories by famous philosophers such as Camus, Tolstoy, others and Nietzsche. The professor, a noted academic philosophy author of his own accord, had a weekly quiz where the first half was recalling details from the story and the second half was an essay portion asking about the existential concepts in the story. I did great with the first half and, initially, struggled on the second half. That’s when I decided to apply a boiler plate response to the second half. All of a sudden, I was getting A’s which satisfied me academically. The only detail regarding Nietzsche that I remember from that class was that he proposed and believed the concept of the ubermensch or Superman. I’ve always felt a little guilty that I didn’t comprehend more from that class.
Fast forward to a Crossway article I just read comparing Nietzsche’s philosophy to Christ’s life example to determine which is the better approach. The article starts by pointing out several examples where the populous felt so negative that riots occurred being fueled by the mass media. Certainly, there are huge parallels to today.
The article suggests that we can subdue our sinful hearts to political rage with meekness. Meekness or gentleness were shown several times in Jesus’ ministry such as his interaction with the Samaritan woman, shedding a tear when he foretold Jerusalem’s destruction and as a resurrected God, his interaction with Thomas’s doubt.
In contrast, Nietzsche equated meekness with weakness and believed that a will to dominate was vital for man’s advancement. Another way of starting this is a warrior exercising a will to power.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t associate meekness with weakness. I’ve always thought I have an advantage in taking a step back and trying to analyze most situations (notice I didn’t say all). I also know Christ overturned the money changing tables and confronted hypocritical Pharisees. There is a time for meekness and a time for action.
Maybe when we feel that anger building within us, we should stop and consider why we are angry, and we’ll know whether to be meek or act.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”- Colossians 3:1-15 ESV
“Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” - Proverbs 21:21-23
