Unlike many philosophers in the enlightenment era, Nietzsche criticized religion in a very clever and cunning way using his theory of morality to attack instead of advocating atheism. His problem wasn't with God nessesarily, it was with the state of mind that people who followed religion were in. He discovered a pattern in these people. Words like "sin," "repentance"and among others are words that for Nietzsche, only fueled the "slaves." He claimed that slave morality is perpetuated by religion, and that the majority of people in the post-enlightenment era created values in negative reactive way instead of a positive active way. According to him the Masters were a dying breed and were beginning to be outnumbered by slaves. People were prematurely accepting values that the church had to offer, instead of creating their own values. He said too many people in the post-enlightenment era were following and valuing the church out of guilt and resentment, but slave morality wasn't even his biggest fear. He greatly feared that eventually there would be a world were people would be unable to create values, a world full of nihilists and cynics, who wouldn't value anything.
This is were I found a bridge between Nietzsche's work (the little bit of work I read of course haha) and today's world. I see nihilism almost everywhere I go, in the theatres, in the mall, social networking sites. It feels like everyone is a hipster, part of this subculture that refuses to like whatever is in or whatever is liked by the majority. This is their drive to buying clothes, listening to music etc ...it is as if these hispters say to themselves, "I'll like something completely different from everyone else likes." It feels like everyone is too focused on being "unique", "different" when they should be focused on creating values for themselves. You see, what ends up happening when you're too concentrated on countering what everyone else likes, you forget what you used to like, and if it goes on long enough you forget how to value something for yourself, without caring about what anyone else thinks. I know how this feels because I myself briefly suffered from this disease after graduating high school. I was in search for my own identity but it became an obsession to the point where I was destroying my identity. I was falling into an abyss of nihilism but luckily I got an opportunity to leave my comfort zone and move to Salt Lake City at the tender age of 18. My Utah experience was wonderful and I feel like it helped me grow up. I lived on my own out there for 6 months but it was out there where I remembered how to value in a positive active way. Now, if I like something or value something I don't care how many other people like or value the same thing I do. I only care about my own values. Nietzsche said we must imagine our selves as a work of art. Art is beautiful in various ways, and we must paint our own picture.
Like Nietzsche, I also fear that eventually we'll live in a world where humanity will be impaired from their human essence which is; creating values. After reading his Geneology of Morals I feel relieved.
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