Is diffidence next to godliness?
What does the phrase to be a god among men even mean? Is it having power and authority over other people? Does it entail being wise and knowledgeable? If so, can a god among men be kind and compassionate? But what if we got the job description all wrong? What if allowing yourself to be degraded, robbed, deceived, and exploited was the true indicator of the strength needed for this position?
Friedrich Nietzsche in his book Beyond Good and Evil argues that the traditional concept of god is one of power and domination. In his writings, he theorizes that this concept is harmful and destructive. But is there another way to think about godliness?
In Nietzsche's (1886) writings, he suggests that we should think of godliness as a kind of diffidence and that the truly godly person is one who is not afraid to be vulnerable. They are the ones who are willing to allow themselves to be hurt because they know that they are ultimately indestructible.
Nietzsche (1886) suggests that this kind of diffidence is not weakness but it is actually the strength that comes from knowing who you are and what you believe in.
"The tendency of a person to allow themselves to be degraded, robbed, deceived, and exploited might be the diffidence of a god among men" (Nietzsche 1886). It is the willingness to be vulnerable, to be hurt, and to be exploited, in the name of something greater than oneself.
Nietzsche (1886) believed that this path was ultimately rewarding and the path of the truly godly
References
Nietzsche, F. W. (1886). Beyond Good and Evil. Hayes Barton Press. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/L-999-71494
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