Response to panel discussion

In the first section of the Third Essay, Nietzsche writes (in my version), “But that the acetic ideal has meant so many things to man expresses above all the fundamental truth about human will, its horror vacui: it must have a goal – and it would even will nothingness rather than not will at all” (77). I was thinking about this last night after the panel discussion about capitalism. A few things that were said last night… humans have basic needs: food, water, shelter, healthcare. How do we quantify and decided who needs how much of each thing? People working in sweatshops are living lives that could have been much, much, much, much worst had the sweatshop not existed. The people who are living at the very bottom of the economic food chain are living better and have “more” than the people who were living in that place 50 years ago. I think that this idea about simply the ability to will being more important that what it is being willed can speak to these dilemmas from last night. There is not a victory in the fact that people are living “better” than people in their same position 50 years ago if those people are still working to simply live and are exploited to the fullest potential of the system. These people, to me, do not get to even will nothingness.. which is why the question is not necessarily about improving the literal living conditions of the poor, but to improve their status within the system form being that which is exploited to members of a system who are able to will. I might have interpreted this passage from Nietzsche completely wrong… but I stand by my interpretation of/response to last night’s comments nonetheless.