Rosarito, Zimar F. Ms. Gillian Marian H.

Garcia
BSA B225 ETHN01A
Midterm Reflection

To read Nietzsche literally is to misunderstand him. This was foremost disclaimed in class. Thus, the terms “God”
and “his death” appear to be metaphors for something else. Should you reflect on your experiences in life, what would
these two stands for? Incorporating his philosophy further, how do you plan on becoming or continue to be a master
of your “Godless” life?

A few weeks passed as I ponder how to address the questions begging for answers
presented right in front of me. Whenever I think of Nietzsche, I always think of nihilism: a way of
thinking that surmises life in itself has no meaning. I would sometimes picture Nietzsche in my
head screaming at my face to “wake up” and live reality at face value; enduring a life filled with
pain, struggles, and suffering.

But even then, after our few fruitful discussions in class, with the help of Miss Garcia and
my fellow classmates, an epiphany struck me. Contrary to popular belief, Nietzsche is not a nihilist,
but an encouraging existentialist. Simply put, he wants us to become the master of our own,
Godless life. This is where his controversial and most misunderstood philosophy of the Death of
God comes into play.

Historically speaking, it is reasonable to glean the metaphor that is Death of God as the
paradigm shift between two distinct periods in human history: the transition between a theocentric
society where God is put onto this figurative pedestal from which we extract our morals and
principles from (e.g., Divine Command Theory and Natural Law Theory), to an anthropocentric
one where we derive our morals within ourselves, and sometimes, our culture (Cultural Relativism).

Personally speaking, I am apt to believe that God in the context of Nietzsche’s metaphor
is the concept of religion and blind faith, as the German philosopher is notoriously known for
criticizing religious teachings that could have negative effects on people, and His death symbolizes
the bygone era of wishful thinking and complete ignorance that is the façade of divine purpose:
we do not have an exact reason why we live, because it is now bestowed upon us to find out.

God’s death marks the moment in time humanity decided to readjust its focus on itself.
Subscribing to blind faith has now become an option, as some people have woken up from reality.
The reality that God is dead, and we killed him. We became conscious and aware of the freedom
we inherited in this world. The concept of everything having a divine purpose has become obsolete,
for we realize that the world we live in was just a result of simple cause and effect. Furthermore,
the essence of humanity has generally been replaced, moving from the hand of God into the hand
of mankind. This completes existentialism's central tenet: existence precedes essence.

Relating it to Nietzsche, since we now have this said freedom to make choices for ourselves
without ever needing to necessarily rely on a divine being, we become introduced to slave and
master morality. In essence, slave morality connotes a descending line of life, acting as a reactive
and passive force, labeled with negative energy. In contrast, master morality implies an ascending
line of life, having an affirmative power and active force, as well as upholding the value-creating
principle.

As for my plan on being a master of my Godless life, I still consider the dynamic flow of
my life itself. This means that these two moralities are not perpetual within oneself; in fact, it is
transformative. Like a tree during spring—so lively and blooming when rays of sunshine glaze its
leaves; but when it is autumn season, the green leaves turn into orange and fall under it to wait
until spring returns once again.

Likewise, sometimes I feel like I’m the master of my life, on other times, I recede back to
my slavish ways of living, especially in those moments of vulnerability and defeat. Nevertheless,
I continue to tread the path of becoming a master of my Godless life. I suppose I will still do the
things that make me feel like the master of my life, by taking care of myself as well as the people
I love. Being physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially healthy would certainly help me
overcome and conquer the perpetual struggles life throws at me, for it is the result of being free.

Having the Will to Life grants me the Will to Power, and push through every single day, as
I watch the sunset before me while I walk to the train station, back to the place I call home. To end
this essay, I would like to quote Nietzsche said, “What does not kill you makes you stronger.” I
would like to add my thoughts to it and say that because something that does not put an end in
your life makes you stronger, you will eventually acquire the tolerance and strength to truly
become the master of your life.