Good morning!

I hope you’re liking this week so far, because I certainly am. I’ve been so enraptured in this book that I’m nearly done with it. Nietzsche has that effect on his readers. For anyone who’s following along, let me know what you think! Now let’s get down to it.

Today, we’re going to dig further in by talking about Nietzsche’s comments on truth and self-deception. Burning that off, we’re going to do the Honesty Check. In our Book Nook, we’re going to flip back to §4 and take a look at the line that inspired today’s edition.

Have a seat, Thought Breakfast is served!

Most people claim to value honesty. We like to think that we want things like truth, clarity, self-knowledge, and reality as it truly is. Truth sounds like the noblest of noble things… until it threatens something we love. In a way, we admire truth in theory more than in practice.

Some beliefs are tied to who we think we are. Challenging those beliefs can feel like a personal danger. Sensing that danger, we evade the truth in order to protect our pride, self-image, relationships, or simply our sense of control.

Certain illusions help us function day-to-day. As we mentioned last week, illusion can provide stability, confidence, direction, or just psychological comfort. After all, under the existentialist microscope, those things can only be found in a state of illusion.

Real honesty, however, asks us to let something else die. Whether it’s an identity, a belief, a relationship, or a vision of the future, radical honesty rarely lets those things survive untouched. Truth can demand the loss of the person we thought we were.

Now, ask yourself why. Why even need truth in the first place? What is it doing for you? As I move through this book, this is where I can see Nietzsche is guiding the readers. The examined life should include an examination of why it’s being examined in the first place. That requires even more, even realer, maybe even untouchable honesty.

Ask yourself:

“The falseness of a judgment is for us not necessarily an objection to a judgment.” — Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil §4

Nietzsche is pointing out here that people do not hold onto beliefs simply because they are true. Sometimes, people need to keep a judgment because it protects them, comforts them, or helps them function. Certain illusions feel necessary because they preserve things like identity, stability, or hope. Oftentimes, we defend what is useful long before we ask whether it’s honest. The hardest question here, rather than being if something is actually true, is whether we are willing to live without it if it isn’t.

Munch on that for today. Have a great day, and come back tomorrow for another steaming hot plate of Thought Breakfast!

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Remember to stay mindful, smell the flowers, and take it easy.

Chef Ricky - Thought Breakfast