Nietzsche's The Eternal Return: Crafting a Life Worth Reliving Forever🤔♾️⚛️

Published: Mon, 04/22/24

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Keeping up with the sheer volume of available information can be challenging. You can't be an impactful writer if you don't expose yourself to old and new ideas that you can apply to your work, especially if you're into speculative fiction. I'm always open to exploring alternate realities, thought-provoking what-ifs, and mind-bending concepts. One powerful idea can set a novel apart and also change how you view the world. I find time and time again the writing of German philosopher Nietzsche provides me with these nuggets that can shift how I think.

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Nietzsche's concept of the eternal return was one such profound idea.
At its heart, the eternal return asks a deceptively simple yet utterly transformative question:
If you had to live this exact life, with all its joys and sorrows, triumphs and tribulations, over and over again for eternity, would you embrace it wholeheartedly?

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The weight of the question shook me to my core, stopping me in my tracks and forcing me to confront the brutal honesty of whether my life, as it currently stood, was truly worth living an infinite number of times. My knee-jerk reaction was no. The creative struggles, rejections, and moments of self-doubt that come with the territory of being an author cast long shadows over the fulfilment I derived from my craft. However, as I delved deeper into the eternal return, I realized that this question wasn't meant to be a condemnation but a catalyst for change.

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If I wouldn't welcome living my current life eternally, then I had to take responsibility and reshape my existence into something I could wholeheartedly embrace. This thought was both terrifying and exhilarating, as it meant that the power to transform my reality rested squarely on my shoulders.

I began by reevaluating my priorities, shedding the aspects of my life that brought more anguish than joy. I doubled down on my writing, treating each sentence and each word as having power and significance. I cultivated deeper connections with loved ones, savouring every moment as if it were the first and last time we'd share it.
Gradually, a profound shift occurred. The weight of the eternal return no longer felt like an oppressive burden but a liberating reminder to live with intention, gratitude, and an unwavering commitment to crafting a life worth repeating endlessly.

When I ponder the eternal return, I can answer with an emphatic yes. Each triumph, whether holding my latest published novel or basking in the praise of a reader whose life I've touched, is amplified by the knowledge that I'd willingly relive it forever. Even the struggles and setbacks, once sources of anguish, have become opportunities for growth and resilience, forging me into a better author and human being.

For you, my Gentle Reader, I'd encourage you to ask yourself the eternal return question: If you had to live this exact life, with all its joys and sorrows, triumphs and tribulations, over and over again for eternity, would you embrace it wholeheartedly?
Don't view it with trepidation but with a sense of empowerment. Stand in front of your mirror, look into your eyes and ask yourself, without flinching, if you'd eagerly repeat your current life in an endless cycle. If the answer is no, then use that as a catalyst to redesign your reality into something you can wholeheartedly affirm.

The eternal return is not a death sentence but a call to live with such vibrancy, purpose, and passion that the prospect of reliving your life becomes a tantalizing proposition. Embrace it, and you'll unlock a gateway to a life worth writing – and living – ad infinitum.

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