Why care for anything in life? [closed]

Question

Great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in his Thus spoke Zarathustra told us a man should become an ‘ overman ‘ or ‘ ubermensch ‘i.e. someone who believes in the nihilism of the universe (Believing that life has no inherent meaning) and because of this, he believes that he can do whatever he wants in life. Create his own rules of life. This idea is great but…… There are certain places where I am unable to work on this idea. I will share a series of questions here. So, I will make sure that I ask a single topic every time.

• Why should I care?
• Why not do whatever I want whenever I want? Why work..? It has no meaning. Moreover, life has no meaning or purpose. We know that.

1. Why should I care for my goals in life? I do not understand like why ? Having a good body is nice , a successful career , travelling the space , being a officer etc But if in end , they have no meaning, no purpose or not just life ends as death but also the goals end along with you since you will not be there anymore , won't remember anything related to it anymore. Why care ?

2. Why not just enjoy or do whatever you want whenever you feel like ? Drink , smoke , party , play video games , sleep for long hours. I mean , Why is it that I have to be bounded by rules. Why cant I have what i want ? No one made any kind of rule to life or told us about it.Why have we made ourselves or the world like as if you have to be a productivity robot who only works , works……

3. According to the ubermensch concept by Nietzsche. He also tells us that none of these goals that you are going to pursue will have any meaning in end. They will all go away along with you. Whether you care or not also has no meaning in the end.

Answer 1

There's nothing to say you have to do any of the things you mention or abstain from anything either. However, you won't be able to avoid the consequences of your decisions.

You obviously operate within a world which exerts limitations upon its inhabitants. How you negotiate these limitations will define your place in the world; your happiness and health and whether you find a sense of meaning or abandon such meaning altogether. Do you need to find meaning to be content? I suspect that for most of us, a sense of meaning helps to motivate us, improves our mental health outcomes and provides a stronger framework for long-term well-being and happiness than the unhealthy habits that tend to arise when we have no sources of direction other than a continuous search for another short-term dopamine high.

Why should I care? Why not do whatever I want whenever I want? Why work? It has no meaning. Moreover, life has no meaning or purpose. We know that.

Not true. Life has meaning for many of us. There might not be such a thing as objective meaning, but millions if not billions find meaning and purpose in their lives, often thanks to the limitations within which we find ourselves confined.

You might ask yourself whether you want to find a sense of meaning or not. Note though that if you are depressed, your diminished optimism may lead you to answer this question negatively when you might otherwise feel differently; it may lead you to neglect aspects of your life you might otherwise nurture and prosper from.

If you find yourself struggling with identity and/or meaning and mental hardship of any sort, by all means, continue to explore philosophy in a search for answers in what is an immense and often contradictory body of work, but consider also turning to those who are properly trained to help you, such as well-qualified counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists. You seem to have read some relevant existentialism-related philosophy, but it doesn't seem to have helped with the 'disturbance' you refer to. Maybe what you need doesn't reside in the philosophy of others. With this in mind, forums of this sort can be immensely interesting and helpful, but they can also lead you astray and into realms and modes of thinking that may not serve your long-term interests.

Answer 2

This would be the logic that applies here:

1. To start, you should research and understand why it is worth living. the typical balance is largely positive toward living. After having such information, you should decide if you are going to put your efforts into keeping alive or dying. Which one have you selected?

1a) If you have selected to die, you shouldn't care about anything. Most actions would lead you to death. Notice you will enjoy a very small piece of life, but you will soon die.

1b) If you have chosen to keep alive, continue to 2.

2. Considering that this requires an effort, do you want to live in order to enjoy what you've learned on 1?

2a) if you have selected not to do an effort; then, put your best effort on keeping alive, and nothing less. You will suffer because an individual that makes no effort for the group implies a social expense. Normally you will end up in jail. You just care about your survival. You can enjoy a bit more of life, but soon society will isolate you because you act egotistically.

2b) [Here's what most people select] You select to be (1b) alive and make an effort to benefit (in exchange) of all pleasures in life (2b) (including those you mention (Drink , smoke , party , do whatever you want whenever you feel like to. Sleep for long hours...), but in a sustainable manner). Then, you need to care for goals, and care for others. Care for your body, career, family, society, ecology, etc. This is the only way to enjoy life in a sustainable manner.

2b directly answers your question: if you decide to be alive, and make an effort for the group, you will get the benefits you mention, drink, sleep long hours, etc. If you "don't care", you can get the benefits you want, but only for quite a short time.

From personal experience, once you get the habit of making a social effort, drinking, and sleeping for long hours become very mundane pleasures: you start to learn about about other extremely pleasant actions: waking up early to enjoy the clouds, fasting to have your mind bright, avoiding alcohol or drugs and learn to generate even more dopamine only by meditation, etc.

Answer 3

You read Nietzsche, Camus, and Kierkegaard. You didn't get to where you are through reason and logical argumentation. You won't get away from that spot through reason and logical argumentation.

Read something else. Start with the words of William Broad.

There is nothing fair in this world.
There is nothing safe in this world.
And there's nothing sure in this world.
And there's nothing pure in this world.
And yet there's something left in this world.
Start again.
It's a nice day.

Go outside. Hold your head up. Walk around. Breathe.

After you feel better we can talk about Aristotle and virtue and stuff.

Answer 4

You may do anything you wish.

But all that you may to wish is the others let you to wish, or prevent you to wish or do. So, what wishes are yours?

If you don't feel that you have to care, you not need.

You don't have to work if you don't need it.

You don't have to read books, if you don't understand it, you may to burn all books that influence on the courage. "Warrior must to burn all books he had read" - said Yamamoto Tsunetomo. So, no one will judged you for this, but just me.

Is this your wish?

Be dare to burn the doubts.