Nietzsche's Advice: Be Inquirers, Not Followers

Nietzsche's Zarathustra urges followers to doubt and inquire, not believe, to see reality and be equals.

### Nietzsche's Philosophy of Inquiry Over Belief
* 🧠 In "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," the sage Zarathustra advises his followers to be **ashamed of him**, **abandon him**, and **doubt his teachings**. He wants them to **inquire and verify the truth for themselves**, rather than blindly believing in him.
* 🌱 A farmer in a story shared by the writer conveys a similar message. He tells a young student seeking truth to leave because the student has transitioned from an inquirer to a believer, following the farmer's map of reality rather than **constructing his own**.
* 🗺 According to Nietzsche, if one wishes to strive for **peace of soul and pleasure**, they should believe, but if they wish to be devotees of truth, they should **inquire**.
* 👥 Zarathustra encourages his followers to become inquirers so that they can **maintain their direct connection to reality**, **construct their own maps of truth**, and ultimately be **equals and friends who can journey through the world together**.
* ❌ On the other hand, followers who simply believe in a teacher's words lose this **direct connection to reality** and the **value of their unique perspectives**.
* 🔍 Inquirers, by maintaining their connection to reality, bring actual value through their **independent perspectives of the world**.

In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, in the chapter called The Bestowing Virtue, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote something surprising. Zarathustra—a sage who is also the central character of the book—tells his followers to stop following him. He says, “I now go alone, my disciples! You too go now, alone! Thus I want it. I advise you: depart from me, and guard yourselves against Zarathustra! And better still: be ashamed of him! Perhaps he has deceived you.” This is one of my favourite parts of the book. I found it surprising, but interesting, that the sage would tell his followers to be ashamed of him, abandon him, and mistrust him. Why would he do that? As usual, I’m gonna explore this idea through a dialogue. --- A young student (S) spent years searching for enlightenment. He travelled across many countries and lived among various groups of ascetics, but after

searching for years, he found his quest to be fruitless. Finally, he gave up and decided to work on a farm. The farmer (F) he worked with was a simple man. He didn’t talk much, but when he did, he enjoyed a good philosophical debate with the student. At first, the student was open to debate, doubting much of what the farmer said, thinking he was similar to the other ascetics the student had met in the past. But after some time, the young student sensed an immense wisdom and tranquility inside the farmer. He started to agree with the farmer more and more. The student's desire for enlightenment had returned, and so the student worked with the farmer for months, absorbing his knowledge. Eventually, the farmer noticed that the student had stopped debating with him, and the following conversation ensued. F: I think it’s time for you to leave me. S: Leave?

Why? F: Listen, when you first arrived here, we had many things to teach one another. We grew together and learned from each other. Your mind was inquisitive. But recently, you’ve begun to believe everything I say. You’ve gone from an inquirer to a believer, and I won’t let you do that to yourself or to me. We’re both better off if you leave. S: But I came seeking the truth, and I found it in you. F: The truth! You’re lost, kid. S: Why would you send me away like this? How can you do that to me? F: Let me show you something. Take a look at this map. What do you see? S: I see our farm, the river nearby, and the mountains. F: No, you see an image of our farm, the river nearby, and the mountains—not the things themselves. Now tell me, what can you learn from this map?

S: I can learn where the farm and the river
are, the height of the mountain, where the berry trees are, where we plant our carrots… F: No, you can’t. Give it a few millennia. The river will dry up, the mountains will
move, and this farm may be a city. You can’t learn anything about the farm
as it is. You can only see an image of it as it was at some point in time. See, a man’s memory is like this map. It can capture a shadow of reality, and he
can share that with you, but he can never give you the reality itself. A man can give you his memories of the truth,
but he can never give you the truth itself. He can tell you where the farm was, but you’d
still have to verify it for yourself. If you want the truth, as you say, there can
be no intermediaries, no middlemen. If there’s a middleman, then he is the one
you are following, not the truth.

S: But what’s wrong with following you? F: If you follow me, you’ll live according
to my memories. You’ll live according to my map, and you’ll
never learn to construct your own. What if my map is wrong? Then you’ll be lost with me, and you won’t
be able to correct me because you never learned to navigate on your own. And if you can’t correct me, then we’re
no longer able to help each other. But if you learn to see for yourself, if you
learn to construct your own map of reality, then we can come together as friends and individuals. We can compare our maps and help one another
see reality as it really is. And when we both see reality as it is, we
can journey through it together, as equals. S: I guess you’re right. I’ll start packing my things. --- In a letter to his sister, Nietzsche wrote,
“if you wish to strive for peace of soul

and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to
be a devotee of truth, then inquire.” And in my opinion, Zarathustra tells his followers
to leave him because they are still believers. He wants them to become inquirers. He doesn’t want followers. He doesn’t want people to believe what he
says. He wants them to doubt him, inquire, verify
what he says for themselves, and see if they arrive at the same vision of reality. And if they arrive at the same vision of reality,
then they can be travellers in this world together. They can be equals. But if they simply believe what he says, then
they become followers. Followers learn to follow someone else’s
map, and by doing so, they lose a direct connection to reality. And if they lose a direct connection to reality,
we all lose the value that comes from their own unique perspective. We lose the value of independent verification
and the possibility of someone correcting

us. But inquirers, on the other hand, make their
own maps and maintain their connection to reality. And because of this, they bring us actual
value through their unique perspective of the world. But at the end of the day, this is just my
opinion and understanding of Nietzsche’s words, not advice. Feel free to use this information however
you like, and if you have a different take on Nietzsche’s words, I’d love to hear
your perspective in the comments.

Nietzsche - Follow No One, Trust Yourself

Freedom in Thought

The Bestowing Virtue in Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Zarathustra surprises his followers by urging them to leave and be ashamed of him, showing a willingness to part ways and a sense of self-reflection.

The interaction between the young student and the farmer illustrates a transformation in the student's perspective, from initially doubting the farmer to eventually absorbing his wisdom in silence.

The passage from the book and the dialogue highlight the theme of independence in seeking enlightenment and the ever-changing nature of influence and guidance.

The speaker is pushing the other person away because they have transitioned from being curious to being unquestioning.

The speaker believes that true knowledge can only come from direct experience, not from relying on someone else's memories or experiences.

The speaker insists that following a person as a middleman prevents someone from discovering the actual truth for themselves.

The Importance of Constructing Your Own Reality

Following someone else's map prevents the construction of your own reality and hinders personal growth.

Nietzsche's philosophy emphasizes the need to be inquirers of truth rather than mere believers, in order to see reality independently and contribute unique perspectives to the world.

This approach allows individuals to journey together as equals, based on their own constructed maps of reality.

The Value of Inquirers' Perspective in Understanding Reality

Inquirers create their own maps of reality, bringing unique value through their perspective.

This interpretation of Nietzsche's words is subjective and open to individual understanding.

Different perspectives on Nietzsche's words are welcome for discussion and interpretation.