Joy!

I have to admit it has been way too hot to write a blog, however, at the moment I have my windows and doors open to let in the cool air before the impending 40C degree temperature in Melbourne today. I woke at 5am to dark quiet, however the peace was punctured at 5.35 am by someone letting off fireworks in the park opposite. I saw briefly the radiating sparks as they hit the air and the smell of sulpher lingered. Already it is the second day of 2012, seems just days ago that we were talking of Christmas ~ I don't know where the time goes. I've been reading Ashley Woodward's book Understanding Nietzscheanism, because interpretations of Nietzsche's writing are always interesting. I was reminded whilst reading, that joy was essential in Nietzsche's affirmation of suffering as the path to the Ubermensch. This was something I had overlooked in my previous post. Woodward explains:

For Nietzsche, the pain of life is inseparable from its joy. It is the natural tendency of joy to want more of itself; it is easy to affirm joy, to want it again. But if we want the joy again, then we must affirm the pain and suffering, for they are inalienable from joy. (2011:18)

Woodward's book is primarily about how Nietzsche's writings have filtered down through the years and influenced the thoughts of others. Yesterday afternoon after having a break from reading I watched Good Neighbor Sam (David Swift, 1964) on television. Jack Lemmon plays Sam Bissell, an all round, good, suburban family man who works in the art department of Burke and Hare advertising company and who makes, in his spare time, moving sculptures from found objects. The plot is not uninteresting, in fact because of his wholesome status he is put in charge of the Nurdlinger account, and later finds himself implicated in a deceit that actually compromises his strict moral code. However, what I found most interesting was that at the beginning of the film Sam literally perceives office workers wearing suits (like himself) as sheep, just part of a vast herd, all doing the same things every day ad infinitum. These three elements reveal an underlying reference to Nietzsche's notion of 'herd mentality', the 'eternal return' and 'nihilism' in which the only way the Ubermensch may emerge is through creation. Explained by Woodard as:

Essentially, the Ubermensch is an affirmer and creator. He or she is one who has survived nihilism, has affirmed life (together with suffering) at the ultimate level demanded by the eternal return and expresses his or her will to power through the active creation of values. (2011:19)

Nihilism maintains that there is no intrinsic meaning, purpose or value to life and that morals are contrived. Indeed in the face of nihilism we realize that 'we' give meaning to life or we create things that become meaningful to ourselves and others. The eternal return is a thought experiment about the repetitive  aspect of life and whether or not one would embrace that same life if lived over and over again whist accepting nihilism. It seems that being a creator is the only way out of this impasse, and Sam is revealed as already having the potential to change his life and himself through his art. I enjoyed the film because it so beautiful demonstrates aspects of existentialism. 

OK, its nearly 7.30 am and the sun is beginning to shine. Probably time to close the doors and windows and keep out the early heat. The birds are singing, they obviously weren't too distressed by the early morning fireworks!