But philosophy in this broad sense, can be more than self-actualization, it can be therapy. Only 25 years old, he became a professor at the University of Basel in Switzerland. At the age of 35 he had to resign because of severe headaches. After this he traveled around in Europe, he must have been quite lonely, and when we look at some of the stuff he has written, we may get the impression that he felt that life was without meaning. This is a feeling that many modern or postmodern people may have.
People feel that life is without a grand meaning, and most of all suffering seems to be meaningless.
But Nietzsche showed that he was a great existentialist. To survive in difficult times, he created a philosophy that functioned as therapy. According to Nietzsche, the central task is to create a perspective that makes life more sustainable. We must, if we follow Nietzsche, develop mental strategies to cope with life. We are thinking beings whether we like it or not, and thinking may be used as an instrument to develop perspectives and mental schemes that makes life a joy, even in difficult situations.