Conan O’Brien is a television tonight show host. He’s had an up, down, and up again time of it lately, to say the least.
Google search it if you want to know the details.
Anyway, his down time has caused him to reflect on a certain piece of popularly espoused wisdom in a slightly more realistic and wise way in a commencement address delivered to a US university:
I learned a hard but profound lesson last year and I’d like to share it with you. In 2000, I told graduates ‘Don’t be afraid to fail.’ Well now I’m here to tell you that, though you should not fear failure, you should do your very best to avoid it. Nietzsche famously said ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ But what he failed to stress is that it almost kills you. Disappointment stings and, for driven, successful people like yourselves it is disorienting. What Nietzsche should have said is, ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you watch a lot of Cartoon Network and drink mid-price Chardonnay at 11 in the morning.’
This can happen when the experience of the transcendent is sought in the attainments of the material world.
If losing it, or failing to achieve it, leaves only emptiness and lack of personal identity you’ve been trying to get transcendence from the wrong source.
HT: Mockingbird blog.
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