Nietzsche and Mastery — Genius Does Not Exist

It’s rare that I find words that resonate with me deeply these days, but these few paragraphs were very uplifting and enlightening.

I like to skip to the end of the book sometimes. I’m pretty impatient when it comes to finishing books, so I am usually paying attention to how close I am in getting to the end.

This is a bad habit that does not allow me to fully appreciate the experience of reading, and I’ve actively tried to stop doing it, but I couldn’t help myself. (If it helps motivate me to keep reading, maybe it’s not so bad, right…?)

If you’ve read some of my previous stories, I’m pretty fond of quotes. Short, articulate, and piercing realizations about the fundamental nature of human experience.

While many become clichés after being used too often across time, I still find that they serve as great reminders to keep in my back pocket.

I found a long quote by Friedrich Nietzsche, who (whom? someone correct me please) I admire, and thought it would be worth stopping by for a quick peek before going back to my original page.

(Whenever I skip pages/chapters, I feel like I’m cheating or looking at the answer key in the back of a math workbook. I have to hurry back before someone catches me snooping where I shouldn’t be)

“Because we think well of ourselves, but nonetheless never suppose ourselves capable of producing a painting like one of Raphael’s or a dramatic scene like one of Shakespeare’s, we convince ourselves that the capacity to do so is quite extraordinarily marvelous, a wholly uncommon accident, or, if we are still religiously inclined, a mercy from on high.

Thus our vanity, our self-love, promotes the cult of the genius: for only if we think of him as being very remote from us, as a miraculum, does he not aggrieve us…

But aside from these suggestions of our vanity, the activity of the genius seems in no way fundamentally different from the activity of the inventor of machines, the scholar of astronomy or history, the master of tactics.

All these activities are explicable if one pictures to oneself people whose thinking is active in one direction, who employ everything as material, who always zealously observe their own inner life and that of others, who perceive everywhere models and incentives, who never tire of combining together the means available to them.

Genius too does nothing but learn first how to lay bricks then how to build, and continually seek for material and continually form itself around it. Every activity of man is amazingly complicated, not only that of the genius: but none is a ‘miracle.’”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

I’m not saying this quote debunks the idea of “genius”. There are definitely people who are one in a million, who are naturally gifted and are better at a given activity than most people.

But these people also appear to us as geniuses because we have never seen how they grew up and what they have been exposed to.

When we use the word ‘genius’ or ‘gifted’ to describe an extraordinarily talented individual, there is an underlying implication that devalues any of the deliberate practice and effort that went into crafting the skill that the individual is great in.

We discount the fact that a ‘gifted’ musician spent most of his/her life playing, listening, and composing music.

We discount the fact that a ‘gifted’ athlete spent most of his/her life practicing and perfecting each and every movement of their skillset.

We discount the fact that a ‘gifted’ painter spent most of his/her life observing the outer and inner world and learning how to express it through their drawings and paintings.

We use the words “gifted”, “genius”, “one of a kind” because we want to protect ourselves — we do it to shield our own egos.

We already decide to fight an uphill battle if our initial thought is to compare who we are today to who someone else is today.

When we decide to invite the idea of “geniuses” living among us, we inhibit ourselves from walking down potential paths of life that will give us fulfillment and purpose.

If we deny the existence and importance of the idea of mastery, the intense focus and dedication of attaining deep knowledge of something that you find interesting and meaningful, we deny the need to strive for it in any way.

If we deny our innate desires to strive for mastery, we are left to walk down the road to enslavement which, Robert Greene, the author of Mastery, calls the “false self”.

“Your false self is the accumulation of all the voices you have internalized from other people — parents and friends who want you to conform to their ideas of what you should be like and what you should do, as well as societal pressures to adhere to certain values that can easily seduce you. It also includes the voice of your own ego, which constantly tries to protect you from unflattering truths.

This self talks to you in clear words, and when it comes to mastery, it says things like, “Mastery is for the geniuses, the exceptionally talented, the freaks of nature. I was simply not born that way.”

Or it says, “Mastery is ugly and immoral. It is for those who are ambitious and egotistical. Better to accept my lot in life and to work to help other people in stead of enriching myself.”

Or it might say, “Success is all luck. Those we call Masters are only people who were at the right place at the right time. I could easily be in their place if I had a lucky break.”

Or it might also say, “To work for so long at something that requires so much pain and effort, why bother? Better to enjoy my short life and do what I can to get by.”

These quotes truly resonated with me because I remembered that I would think these things countless times.

There would be times where I would look at great writers, music producers, and artists and tell myself that they were all “meant to do what they were doing”. They were so lucky to have “found their passion”.

Or the more resentful, envious thoughts of “these people were lucky to have had parents who could support them in whatever they wanted to do. They never had to suffer a life like me. If I was in their shoes I would be just as talented, if not more.” (super dramatic I know)

These thoughts are toxic because they relinquish individual responsibility.

They choose to blame external factors that are outside of our control rather than focus on the things that we truly have control over, such as time management, deliberate practice, and self discipline.

“As you must know by now, these voices do not speak the truth. Mastery is not a question of genetics or luck, but of following your natural inclinations and the deep desire that stirs you from within. Everyone has such inclinations. This desire within you is not motivated by egotism or sheer ambition for power, both of which are emotions that get in the way of mastery.

It is instead a deep expression of something natural, something that marked you at birth as unique. In following your inclinations and moving toward mastery, you make a great contribution to society, enriching it with discoveries and insights, and making the most of the diversity in nature and among human society.

It is in fact the height of selfishness to merely consume what others create and to retreat into a shell of limited goals and immediate pleasures. Alienating yourself from your inclinations can only lead to pain and disappointment in the long run, and a sense that you have wasted something unique. This pain will be expressed in bitterness and envy, and you will not recognize the true source of your depression.

What happens when you run away from your destiny?

What happens when you refuse to take on the call to adventure?

What happens when you deny the responsibility to become who you are?

You slowly deteriorate from within. You cannot find enjoyment in anything. You become bitter, resentful, and envious. You blame the world, even though deep inside you know that you were the one who placed obstacles in front of yourself.

Either that, or you become hopeless and nihilistic. You have nothing to shield yourself with against the indifferent nature of the world. You are eternally a victim, cannot help anyone (especially yourself), and will eventually become a burden for everyone.

With a sense of purpose and meaning that comes from pursuing mastery, you can withstand the inherent nature of tragedy and suffering that is life.

“Your true self does not speak in words or banal phrases. Its voice comes from deep within you, from the substrata of your psyche, from something embedded physically within you. It emanates from your uniqueness, and it communicates through sensations and powerful desires that seem to transcend you.

You cannot ultimately understand why you are drawn to certain activities or forms of knowledge. This cannot really be verbalized or explained. It is simply a fact of nature. In following this voice you realize your own potential, and satisfy your deepest longings to create and express your uniqueness. It exists for a purpose, and it is your Life’s Task to bring it to fruition”

I understand as I write this that I sound quite ungrateful and indifferent toward the majority of people in society who do not have this leisure of pursuing mastery.

There are many people who do not have the means to pursue this life of mastery — especially when they are the breadwinners and caretakers of family members.

I am eternally grateful for all the people of society who are taking jobs to support the current and next generation with the possibility of pursuing something that is personally meaningful and fulfilling.

I am a benefactor of the hard work and sacrifice of our predecessors, which is exactly why I believe our responsibility to become who we were destined to be is so important.

Will we allow the sacrifices of our previous generations to be in vain?

Or will we repay them in the only way we can — to follow what we are naturally inclined toward, work hard in becoming great at whatever it is, and contribute great things in society that will ultimately allow the next generation to become who they were meant to become?

By taking responsibility to transform yourself, you have the possibility to transform your family, your friends, and your society.