9/11, The Search for Meaning, and Nietzsche ??

Hey there, your philosophy BFF here ??

Living in New York now, 9/11 feels way more real. I can see One World from my place—the tower that replaced the Twin Towers. I sometimes imagine what it would’ve been like to actually see the towers hit, go up in smoke, and vanish from my window. It’s wild. And it makes me wonder—how do you even begin to cope with losing someone in such unimaginable circumstances? Like, a heart attack or car accident is already devastating, but something like this? How do you get through it? Then, I remembered one of Nietzsche’s gems:

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”

Nietzsche’s insight is all about that deep connection between meaning and endurance. At first glance, it might sound like he’s saying, “Find a reason, and boom, you can handle anything.” But Nietzsche goes way deeper than that. He’s not just telling us to justify our pain with some random reason. He’s challenging us to face life’s chaos and absurdity head-on and, from there, create our own why.

For Nietzsche, suffering is part of the deal, but it shifts when you give it meaning. That “why”—your inner engine—turns obstacles into stepping stones toward something greater. When you find a purpose that’s bigger than just the daily grind, you can handle even the worst stuff life throws at you. The “how”—the way we deal with pain—becomes less important compared to the bigger picture of why we’re even here.

Think about events like 9/11. Our instinct is to search for meaning, to make sense of what feels impossible to understand. Nietzsche reminds us that meaning isn’t something handed to us on a silver platter. We have to build it through the choices we make and the values we hold, especially in the face of chaos. Nietzsche wasn’t a fan of traditional religions, which he thought offered cookie-cutter meanings. He believed those “pre-packaged” purposes only held us back from realizing our full potential. Instead, he pushed for us to create our own values, free from those institutionalized beliefs.

This idea ties into his concept of the übermensch—sometimes translated as “superman.” The übermensch is someone who breaks away from conventional values and creates new ones, driven by inner strength. By finding their “why,” the übermensch can handle anything—not by passively surviving suffering but by transforming it into something that fuels their growth and self-realization.

So, when we remember 9/11, we’re not just thinking about loss and recovery. We’re seeing how resilient people can be when they create new meanings in the face of tragedy. We rebuild not just because we have to, but because in rebuilding, we affirm our will to live. We’re showing that we can make sense of our existence, even when the world gives us no guarantees.

Nietzsche borrows a bit from the Stoics, who believed in accepting suffering, but he adds his own spin. While the Stoics want to minimize the effect of external events on our well-being, Nietzsche’s all about embracing suffering as a way to give our lives meaning. His idea of the “why” doesn’t just comfort us during hard times—it pushes us forward. It’s an invitation to rise above passive suffering and really engage with life. It’s a challenge to keep affirming life, even when things seem bleak.

So, I’m inviting you today to think about your own “why.” How do you make sense of life when it feels unpredictable? How do you create meaning when it feels like there’s none? Let’s not just survive—let’s live intentionally, even—especially—when chaos is staring us in the face.

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