Why Not?
Momentum, it carries us through most of our lives. We get flying down one path and then continue going down it if only because we're already going that way. We continue down the path because we're almost here. Why not just continue to be the way we are? Why seek a change in yourself or in the world? It would be easiest to simply be "normal" and go along life with mediocre goals and never care to reach for anything higher or beyond. This is why my nickname on so many places is the uberman. I was introduced to the true meaning of the term by Joel today.For most of my life I thought that uberman was, to me, a simple amalgamation of the prefix Uber- and man; like superman but with Uber-. I learned today that the uberman is really much more than that. An uberman is a person who defies their predefined destiny; someone rises up against fate. There are two prime examples of the uberman, neither of which I feel I immitate, but I feel by explaining two extremes it will easier to understand the middle road that I am taking.
One classic example is that of an Italian king whose name eludes me. In an attempt to unify Italy all of the regional kings gathered. This one king, Arther we'll call him, attended the meeting dutifully. However, when he arrived he killed all of the other kings and united all of Italy under his own banner. This defiance of what should have happened obviously falls under the category of uberman. No reasonable many would have killed all of those kings for a goal that would have been accomplished otherwise. He did something that put him out of his traditional role or fate, even as a king.
Another example of an uberman which is much less esoteric than an obscure king of an Italian fiefdom is the NFL running back Reggie Bush. He was born in squalor and did not have much as a child. However, he rose up against these handicaps in order to become a first round draft pick and an amazingly successful rookie in the NFL. In addition he is a fan favorite for being just so dang flashy without seeming to be an ass about it. Maybe he just has us hypnotized with his wide toothy grin, but I think not. Again, Bush defied the odds, what was expected of him, what his destiny was, in order to become something different.
In a way the entire idea of the American Dream is hinting and becoming an uberman. Rising from one class to another is something that is very difficult to do. To take your life and deliberately change it in order to do that parallels the idea of the uberman.
These last two examples of what an uberman may be seem to paint a bit too rosy of a picture of what the uberman. One must remember that by trying to literally alter our own destiny we are being extremely selfish. If you believe in God this is a bad thing because God put us all on the earth for a specific purpose, and trying to break away from that most likely upsets the balance of the rest of the world. Even if one believes only in logic, logically all people should fulfill
a certain niche in society and by breaking away from the rest of society is hurt.
This is getting pretty long so I should rap in up. In my own mind I feel that I can be an uberman simply by performing the best. Not the best I can, nor the best according to a teacher or a parent or anyone, just the best. I am never satisfied completely by imperfection but must accept it in order to live(if I did not I dare say I would not be writing this today). I use this dissatisfaction in order to fuel myself to do better the next time. Thus, I feel that my approach to the uberman is more practical, even if I didn't know that it was exactly how I lived my life.
One classic example is that of an Italian king whose name eludes me. In an attempt to unify Italy all of the regional kings gathered. This one king, Arther we'll call him, attended the meeting dutifully. However, when he arrived he killed all of the other kings and united all of Italy under his own banner. This defiance of what should have happened obviously falls under the category of uberman. No reasonable many would have killed all of those kings for a goal that would have been accomplished otherwise. He did something that put him out of his traditional role or fate, even as a king.
Another example of an uberman which is much less esoteric than an obscure king of an Italian fiefdom is the NFL running back Reggie Bush. He was born in squalor and did not have much as a child. However, he rose up against these handicaps in order to become a first round draft pick and an amazingly successful rookie in the NFL. In addition he is a fan favorite for being just so dang flashy without seeming to be an ass about it. Maybe he just has us hypnotized with his wide toothy grin, but I think not. Again, Bush defied the odds, what was expected of him, what his destiny was, in order to become something different.
In a way the entire idea of the American Dream is hinting and becoming an uberman. Rising from one class to another is something that is very difficult to do. To take your life and deliberately change it in order to do that parallels the idea of the uberman.
These last two examples of what an uberman may be seem to paint a bit too rosy of a picture of what the uberman. One must remember that by trying to literally alter our own destiny we are being extremely selfish. If you believe in God this is a bad thing because God put us all on the earth for a specific purpose, and trying to break away from that most likely upsets the balance of the rest of the world. Even if one believes only in logic, logically all people should fulfill
a certain niche in society and by breaking away from the rest of society is hurt.
This is getting pretty long so I should rap in up. In my own mind I feel that I can be an uberman simply by performing the best. Not the best I can, nor the best according to a teacher or a parent or anyone, just the best. I am never satisfied completely by imperfection but must accept it in order to live(if I did not I dare say I would not be writing this today). I use this dissatisfaction in order to fuel myself to do better the next time. Thus, I feel that my approach to the uberman is more practical, even if I didn't know that it was exactly how I lived my life.
posted by Starpit @ 7:57 PM
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