The Teachings of Nietzsche in relation to the Parkland Shooting
On the other hand, Friedrich Nietzsche, a professor of philosophy, shuts down the idea of minimizing suffering. Instead, he advocates that we should embrace our sufferings and grow from them. Alain de Botton writes on the philosophy of Nietzsche and states that "most of us fail to recognize the debt we owe to these shoots of difficulty" (228). He goes on to say that most of the time we cut out suffering like "weeds" but little do we know that we are "choking off the positive elements that might arise form it further up the stem" (228). This is so powerful! Often times we cut off things when they become hard or emotional. We should instead endure the pain and keep going because according to Nietzsche, fruit will come from our difficult situations.
Now back to our original topic. The students who attend Marjory Stoneman Douglas could have chose to let their emotions and suffering get the most of them. They could have avoided going back to school. They could have shut themselves off from society.
There are so many possibilities for what could have happened as a result of this tragedy. Instead, the students chose to stand for what they believe in. Instead of cutting off their suffering, as suggested by many philosophers before Nietzsche, these students chose to cultivate awareness through their tragedy. The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas adopted the hashtag #MSDStrong. They also participated in the March for Our Lives in Washington D.C. just last week.
This isn't about what your personal stance on gun control is. This is about students, just like you and me, taking a stand and growing through our suffering.
If these students would've avoided this situation and shut down their feelings of suffering, change would not already be in the works. These students are working to make sure that other students and teachers don't have to fear going to school. Unfortunately, there is a chance that more school shootings will happen in the future, but because of these brave students, there is hope for a better tomorrow.
Great post, a very thoughtful application of the ideas!
ReplyDeleteLove the entry because you connected what we learned to recent tragedy that can be a great eye opener for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this entry because I believe it is so applicable to everything that is currently going on in our country. Every day I hear more news about someone losing their life and I often wonder how families cope with the sudden news of losing a loved one. I feel like Nietzsche's ideas are something that we all need to have in order to get over the sudden news of the death of a loved one. If we don't all suffer together, we won't be able to move on together. Suffering is part of life and I believe that by suffering emotional events together, it allows you to form bonds, and it enables you to move on from the tragic event. I, for one, couldn't have moved on as quickly as I did after the death of my great-grandfather, without having my family there to help me. It comforted me to know, that they were there and went through the same sad event with me. I feel like it helped to have a support group and that it brought me closer to my family because of it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! It is nice to see a real example of applications of what we have been learning about! Gun control issues aside, these people did take a stand for what they believe in. It is highly likely that the philosophers we have been reading works from would find schools to be a source of suffering, and would suggest another form of educating citizens. However, all of the great things in this country have came about because someone felt strongly enough about it to stand up for their belief. They strived for a better nation. Standing up and speaking out was necessary to end slavery, voting rights, the Civil Rights movement, establishing new programs, and so much more.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post, and it's so relevant. I feel like when most people want to talk about this school shooting, all that is ever addressed is gun control. It's nice and refreshing to see a post about something that gets overshadowed. These people are standing up for what they believe in, and they are allowing their pain to bear fruit. It's important that they follow Nietzsche's philosophy of embracing their sufferings and growing from them.
ReplyDeleteThis post is so true and very applicable in today's world. I think it is good to embrace the difficulties that life throws at us; it really exemplifies a person's character and what kind of individual they are. Even though it is very hard to cope with such tragedies, it is best just to realize that it is a part of life and bad things are going to happen. Tragedies such as death are inevitable, but instances such like this one can be limited if the right actions are taken. I have a lot of respect for these students that were able to move on from such a difficult time.
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