Michael Mungia Hispanic Center of Excellence Summer 2002 Think Before You Act Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was one of Germany's leading philosophers. He left his footprints on today's society with quotes such as, "What does not kill you only makes you stronger," and novels like The Gay Science. Another notable scrawling of Nietzsche is, "We ought to learn from the kine one thing: ruminating." In other words, Nietzsche believed we should deliberately consider our actions prior to carrying them out. Nietzsche believed people should think as cows and other ruminants eat: slowly, carefully and deliberately, analyzing or meditating before rushing on to something else. Cows have several chambers in their stomachs, just like other ruminants. This specialized adaptation allows them to "chew their cud" several times in order to extract all the nutrients possible. People should normally do the same with their thoughts before acting. A steady process of deliberation prevents unnecessary circumstances and consequences. Moreover, most people get annoyed or aggravated when they hear, "Oh, I am sorry, I was not thinking." This could have been easily avoided by rumination. Nietzsche believed you should think before you act. Although rumination is a great way to avoid unnecessary outcomes, there are times when a spontaneous reaction is the better route to a more desirable result. For example, if someone is about to be in a car accident, he hasn't enough time to carefully analyze his situation. He must spontaneously react by basic instinct. Also, spontaneous reaction is your best bet when an assailant attacks. A quick decision should be made and acted upon. Sometimes it is best not to second guess yourself; instead, follow up with your first instinct. Nietzsche saw answers for the human world while observing the animal world. Even though animals are seen as wild, savage, or incapable of a bright thought, they can teach us many valuable lessons. We should learn from kine and ruminate. |
