How to become your own Superman
When most people think of superman, they think of The Man of Steel. The one who is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and who can bound buildings. The one who wears blue and red tights at night and is a journalist by day. The one and only Clark Kent.
But, when I think of superman, I think of the man who has mastered his psychological self, and is above all humans. The one who doesn’t follow the herd, but create his own path. He is known to most as the Übermensch or the “Overman” as a direct translation. And, he is actually the one who inspired the creation of superman as the hero he is today.
Frederich Nietzsche was the creator of the Übermensch, and defined him as “the ideal superior man of the future who could rise above conventional Christian morality to create and impose his own values, originally described by Nietzsche in Thus Spake Zarathustra (1883–85)”
The idea of the Übermensch came to Nietsche in a time of need, and after one of his most famous quotes,
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?”
Within this quote, he hoped to shed light on the fact that Europe no longer needed a God or God like figure to guide our purpose in life and our morality. Instead, he wanted to convey the idea that modern day science and philosophy would do that for us instead. Many other philosophers also believed that this also a symbolic message to others showing that his conviction in true world theories was deteriorating.
Another important aspect in this quote is when he states “And we have killed him,”. From this, he explained that the scientific revolution and our will for a better understanding of the world was the reason for the murder.
Now, telling all of Europe that God was dead, wasn’t exactly an ideal case for Nietzsche either, as almost everyone relied on religion and Christianity to drive their belief systems and their decision making.
Hence, the reason why he created the idea of the Übermensch. The Übermensch was supposed to act as a vision of the next stage of human evolution and was meant to be an ultimate goal for humanity. They would be the ones who would sacrifice everything for humanity. You were supposed to look up at Übermensch and say “Yeah I want to be like that guy”.
How to Become Übermensch
Now that you know what Übermensch is, we will go through some steps on how to become Übermensch. Now, keep in mind, this isn’t the only way to become an Übermensch and becoming an Overman is something people strive for during their entire lives. So, if this tutorial doesn’t work for you, don’t worry.
1. Concern Yourself with THIS Life and not Another
One of the things that Nietzsche disliked the most about Christianity and religion was the thought of the afterlife. He felt that notions such as heaven were just theories that people had created to help us focus on something better than the world we live in today.
These “true world theories” as he called them, were human inventions that were meant to fill a psychological void that we all have. If you are too concerned with the afterlife, then this will pull you from your full potential and your potential from becoming an Overman.
However, if you wish to become an Übermensch, you must affect history indefinitely and look over the world you live in today. You must share your knowledge with the people of this earth, and devote yourself to this earth in making it a better place. You must reenter the world through other people's minds and affect their thoughts and values.
2. Create Your Own Values
Another feat that an Übermensch must do, is create his own values. Many people today, are animals of the herd. They do what people do because someone tells them to do it. They look for what other people are doing and try to copy them as to not look like the odd one out. Though, if you wish to become an Overman, you must become the odd one out.
You must create your own values and morals to follow and not ask others what is right and wrong. Your values can be similar to those of the herd, but you must discover them on your own and not accept them because others tell you to.
An Übermensch is supposed to be psychologically dominant and creating your own belief system is the first step in becoming an Übermensch.
3. Balance between your Apollonian and Dionysian side
Finally, one of the most important aspects of becoming an Übermensch is having a strong balance between your Apollonian and Dionysian side. Apollo and Dionysus are actually both greek gods, but surprisingly, their values and traits oppose each other.
Apollo was the Greek god of light, reason, harmony, balance and prophesy. Whereas, Dionysus was the god of wine, revelry, ecstatic emotion and tragedy.
When most people think of Superman, they think of all of the amazing abilities he has and all of the good deeds he does for others. However, what some people overlook is the danger that he puts his citizens in by fighting in Metropolitan and the danger of his recklessness.
Now, Nietzsche realizes that in every man, there is without a doubt, good and bad. A Ying and a Yang. So, instead of pushing this balance away, he wants Übermensch to embrace their logical and emotional sides and use it to benefit humanity.
All in all, people strive for their entire lives to become an Übermensch without much success. And only the best of mankind will ever reach that status. Although, if you follow those 3 steps, you are very much on your way to becoming the next Superman.
Key Takeaways
- Becoming an Übermensch is extremely difficult, but it is the next stage of evolution for humankind
- Focus on the present and this life, not the next
- Create your own values and don’t just follow the masses
- Balance the good and the bad
