Amor Fati: Love of Fate (IM 853)

The great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche describes his formula for human greatness as "amor fati"- love of one's fate. “That one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backwards, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it….but love it.”

In one of his book he writes:

I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things; then I shall be one of those who makes things beautiful. Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth! I do not want to wage war against what is ugly. I do not want to accuse; I do not even want to accuse those who accuse. Looking away shall be my only negation. And all in all and on the whole: some day I wish to be only a Yes-sayer...

Nietzsche had a particular fondness for a concept called (in Latin) 'amor fati', a Stoic acceptance of one's fate and a commitment to embrace reality, in all its beauty and pain. Amor Fati is the Stoic mindset that teaches us to take each and every moment - no matter how challenging - as something to be embraced and not avoided and is according to the nature's plan.

"Anything you throw in front of the fire is the fuel for the fire" - Marcus Aurelius said. So when facing the things that lie beyond our control, accepting it is only the way forward. It's about accepting, embracing and stop fighting against inevitable.

In a letter to a friend written in 1882, Nietzsche  writes, "I'm in a mood of fatalistic 'surrender to God' - I call is amor fati, as so much that I would be willing to rush into lion's jaws." And sometimes in our life I believe we should learn to join Nietzsche when facing with pain and agony.