3 Things You Can Do to Instantly Improve Your Life
Life Advice from Goethe's "Faust"
Goethe’s book “Faust” is considered to be one of the top greatest books of all time. Additionally, it is packed with tons of philosophy and life advice. Here are three things you can do right away to improve your life now and forever:
Always strive in life
Value life experience
Trust your senses
1. ALWAYS STRIVE IN LIFE
Throughout the entire book, Faust, who was a college professor, continuously strived to achieve more in life. He sought after romantic partners, works with an emperor to try and improve an economy, and wants to have all the world’s knowledge. Throughout the book, he does everything he can and is always striving to achieve these and other goals.
2. VALUE LIFE EXPERIENCE
The book starts off with Faust starts off feeling depressed and hopeless, because he has been a professor for decades and never really lived life. He never spent time socializing with friends, never had a romantic partner, nor experienced adventures in life. He instead focused on his academic studies, became a doctor, and eventually became a renowned professor. Yet he is surrounded by books and his study room feels like a dungeon to him. Faust is on the verge of suicide.
Eventually, the devil introduces himself to Faust and promises him everything that he ever wanted if he simply signs a contract. Faust sold his soul to the devil to experience life to its fullest.
The main point here is that while intellectual pursuits are important, experiences in life are just as important, if not more. In the book, Goethe was pushing back against the Age of Enlightenment’s prioritization of intellectualism over actually experiencing life.
3. TRUST YOUR SENSES
In the beginning of Faust Part 2, the reader is introduced to an emperor in the land. The emperor is busy spending money as he pleases and is causing the kingdom’s finances to go into debt. There is much dismay that is felt by the emperor’s advisors and his subjects in the land. The emperor himself is also depressed and concerned about the kingdom’s finances.
Like clockwork, the devil (Mephistopheles) shows up to pay the emperor a visit. Mephistopheles easily convinces the emperor to fix the economy by inflating the money supply and paying off the debt by stealing gold that the citizens buried underground.
The emperor was in a state of panic and depression over finances, allowing the Mephistopheles to manipulate and sway him.
SUMMARY:
Striving to attain goals provides a meaning to life.
While intellectual pursuits have their place in life, experience in life is just as valuable, if not more.
Trusting your senses and being aware in life can help you to avoid being manipulated for the ill-intentions of others.
REFERENCES:
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von (2001). Faust. (Originally published, 1808). Translated by Walter Arndt and edited by Cyrus Hamlin. W. W. Norton & Company; Second edition.
Nicely done
This piece made me think of an old favorite paperback I found in 1984
'Homecoming' by Holderlin was in the back of Existence and Being and the included essay Heidegger wrote regarding the poem changed my life 40 years ago
Can't recall publisher although the paperback was published 1948 I am almost certain
Your writing has a nice pace
Hope you and yours have a great Christmas
Well written essay. I enjoyed reading it.
Something else to add is that Faust never lived the "trickster" phase of his live (as described by Joseph Henderson in part 2 of "Man and His Symbols"), which made him susceptible to fall prey to a deal with Mephistopheles. So much so that instead of pursuing greatness and doing meaningful things with his live, Faust went on a childish behavior, such as pranking the pope.
If given the opportunity, rather than trying to make up for a long gone phase of one's live, it is preferable to stay focused on chasing meaning in life.