I was recently looking back at one of my favorite ancient (around 280 BC) Confucian thinkers, Mencius. As I looked through some quotes and notes, I noticed some interesting tidbits.
Great people nurturing what is best and most noble in them. The meak only nurturing their meakness. Cautioning against petty resentments being allowed to hinder the greater, noble character and pursuits (indeed, even values) of man.
Weakness, descent, overcoming, enduring and embodying our philosophy. Great hardship leading to greatness of character, and great resolve. Overcoming external hardship to clear the mind - almost like a great “down going”.
A love and vigor for life born of wisdom and adversity. Perhaps even an appreciation. This, to me, is similar to the idea that a philosopher who truly embodied his beliefs would be something more akin to a dancer or an artist on the camvas of life.
I’m reading and taking this in, and it suddenly hits me. This seems an awful lot like some of the sentiments shared by our favorite mustachioed philosophical renegade several thousand years later. Even after two decades of reading philosophy, I am still amazed by the breadth and nuance of Nietzsche’s knowledge. The more I learn about history, philosphy (even the philosophers themselves), science, psychology, language, etc. the better I understand Neitzsche. Some of his seemingly vague, poetic aphorisms become relatively straightforward responses or critiques to ideas I had not yet encountered or properly digested.
Lastly, one of my favorite quotes.
Be careful taking thinkers like these at face value, or merely accepting any interpretation that serves to confirm bias. A good book is a onramp, or guide, into other ideas and more books. We must be careful how we nourish the brain in the same way we are about nourishing the body.