MYTH WARRIORS! “What does not kill me, makes me stronger.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

In the MYTH WARRIORS™ series we are targeting ideas to begin to assess whether they are credible or not (i.e., they are a myth, fallacy or even a lie). The target for this episode is, “What does not kill me, makes me stronger.” - Friedrich Nietzsche (1888)

If you want  some background on the author of the quote, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy which is by The Metaphysics Research Lab, Center for the Study of Language and Information (CLSA) at Stanford University, has a primer at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/ .

Many people recognize our topic as it has been addressed in modern popular culture (by music releases by Kellie Clarkson and Kanye West among others). The issue is what do you think? Do you think that we should make choices even if they increase our potential for pain and distress because the pain only “makes us stronger?” Or, should we examine our lives and our behavior to assess what steps we can take today to place us in a safer and more comfortable position tomorrow? 

If I pay my bills on time, set aside an emergency fund of cash and keep my credit card paid in full, does that place me in a safer economic position if I lose my job? Or, should I spend everything that I earn on clothes and use every single dollar on my credit card limit because I want to (and I can)? Is it going to make me stronger to make decisions that are risky (economically, emotionally, professionally) just because I want to? Or, is it a myth that adding more and more stress and uncertainly in life is preferable (due to the purported strength it imparts if things fall apart)? Does additional stress and trauma result in a more joyful and healthy person or a more traumatized one?

Let’s explore this issue!