Definition:
In essence, Nietzsche flips the concept of eternal life on its head. Instead of living indefinitely, one simply is reborn into his or her original life again, and lives it all again.
Would you be willing to do this?
It seems pointless and meaningless or hellish. Either I forget it each time around, in which case each version of me dies in every way that matters and some undefined thing the demon is calling “me” is sent back; or I am trapped in a body that in every runthrough mechanically performs the same acts I did the first time, probably going insane.
No. I could not go through the heartbreak of losing my mom all over again.
Since during my ‘original’ life (that is, this one) I don’t have any recollection of having lived it before, any repeat performance would have me not remembering having lived it before either. Therefore, who cares?
Hell no. My life has been a string of trauma for the last 15 years. I’m just now beginning to function. Not worth it.
-Hubert Selby, Jr.
If I could live it again with all of my current knowledge (buy Microsoft shares early!) maybe… But even that would pall after the tenth repeat or so.
Can I skip the first 25 or so years? Sign me up! What’s that? I have to repeat those as well?
Hell No!
The Tibetan Buddhist’s believe that those people who are on difficult and traumatically painful paths, are on what they call, ‘the short path’. The pain and trials of many lives all crammed into one. There was a time when I was convinced I was on a short path. Hell no!
Only if I can keep my current knowledge and memories. Otherwise, it would be living the same life ONCE . . . again and again and again. And who’s to say that isn’t already the case?
I have been pretty influenced by Nietzsche’s philosophy, but the eternal recurrence of the same was never something I could really get into.
Except for now, considering it again, perhaps he intended it in the same vein as ‘‘Say yes to everything.’’ It may not be terribly different from the Buddhist concept of acceptance. In order to say ‘‘yes’’ to eternal recurrence of the same, one would have to completely accept the circumstances of one’s life. Literally would I want to relive my life? I don’t think so, assuming I would know what’s coming ahead of time. But can I fully accept all of the experiences I’ve had? Yes.
And I think part of what Nietzsche was trying to say was, ''Can you be so confident in your life choices that you would be willing to live with their consequences over and over again?" I can get behind that too.