an inevitable course of events

Fate

Nietzsche said, “My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it—all idealism is mendaciousness in the face of what is necessary—but love it.”

Love what is necessary.

What is necessary Nietsche?

my likely incomplete list of necessary…in no particular order

-good yarn and knitting needles

-art…making and viewing

-Luka

-walks through the neighbor

-talks with my kids, texts will do

-good food

-potato chips..any kind

-coffee(trying to make it not necessary, but have yet to succeed)

-dancing

-a good friend

-love…simple, honest, truly unconditional..

-laughing

-water…all kinds, but especially the kind that you can swim in

-quiet…

This is probably not what Nietsche had in mind, but I struggle with word “necessary” used in conjunction with the idea of “fate.”  I think of fate as “what is.”  When I think of the word “necessary” what comes to mind is the idea of something being needed likely for the attainment of something else.  I need air, in order to live. I need to get a good job so I can pay my bills. I need to accept fate in order to be at peace…I can live with that.  To say that I must love what is necessary, what I need, …it’s not the same thing.

What is the need?  Life..living..the human experience?  And here…here is the question that is always asked…why is this life, this human experience needed?  To what end?  Last year, I might have answered “to die well..” Today I answer “to no other end but now, so to do so, living, as peacefully as possible.”