When You Stare Into the Abyss, the Abyss Stares Back

Anyone who fights with monsters should be careful not to become one themselves. When you stare into the abyss for too long, the abyss also stares back at you.

(He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.)

A while back, I was chatting with a friend about detachment and compassion. My friend threw out a rather pessimistic idea: maybe as ordinary people, we have no clue what it’s like to be truly wise. We’re just imagining wisdom through the lens of our own limited perspective.

Based on my recent experiences and reflections, I said, perhaps beings on a higher dimensional plane aren’t pristine, angelic figures—they might actually be murky, devilish ones (though this might just be me talking nonsense). There’s a chapter in the Tao Te Ching that says, “Heaven and Earth are unkind; they treat all things as straw dogs.” Maybe only at the level of Heaven and Earth can one truly transcend attachment, operating without human emotions and biases.

As for us, maybe all we can do is fully immerse ourselves in the experience of life. I still believe there’s immense value in experiencing things. As a vessel, I’ll live out this life, and maybe at the end, I’ll just let out an “Oh” before heading off to wherever souls go.

I’ve always been a bit slow in certain areas. Growing up, I was taught to be kind and upright. Following Occam’s Razor, I’ve always believed in keeping things simple—don’t complicate what doesn’t need complicating. I thought this would make life straightforward and reduce internal friction, but I’ve realized it’s still incredibly hard to achieve. The more people I interact with, the more I see the darker sides of human nature. Over the years, parts of myself that I used to deliberately ignore have started to surface. And I think I’ve finally come to understand: the way to overcome the devil might be to learn its tricks. When this realization hit me, I felt a chill run down my spine. Turns out Nietzsche had already seen through this and put it into words: anyone who fights with monsters should be careful not to become one themselves. When you stare into the abyss for too long, the abyss also stares back at you.

We can acknowledge darkness, understand it, and accept its existence—but only as a tool to serve our abilities and ultimate goals. If you believe the highest human experiences are still love, sincerity, and beauty, then recognizing darkness can help you avoid being swept up in it when it appears. It can keep you from falling into the traps of endless games. But don’t stare into the abyss for too long. Remember to look up and find your guiding star.