The grand narrative of progress is shoved in our faces wherever we go. Since consciousness is bound to the illusory arrow of time granted us by thermodynamic entropy, the existence of psychological phenomena such as memory and (apparent) free will leads us to adopt that grand narrative. That presupposes a certain principle that guides free will toward progress, but the grand narrative itself reinforces the existence of that principle in a positive feedback loop. Such a tripartite Escherian structure cannot exist without any pillar; the grand narrative is necessary to justify der Wille zur Macht, that driving force of life, and der Wille is required for progress.
This suggests that the will to power is fundamental to human nature, if not life. This manifests itself in a struggle both within and without, for mastery over self and non-self (which includes environment and others). Seeking mastery over self sets us on the path of self-actualisation and arete, and transcendence leads us to the Nietzschean Übermensch (cf. compleat/real man and Frank Herbert's Kwisatz Haderach).
Such a struggle may lead to successes and failures. Success leads to happiness, whereas failure leads to sorrow or anomie. The path itself has a certain concomitant degree of anomie, since the Übermensch must revalue and eschew morality, which leads to a disconnect with societal norms. However, such anomie may be neutralised by the presence of people with compatible worldviews and through propinquity to such persons.
Anomie may spur a real man onto jihad (whether inward or outward) and further arete, but left unchecked may rapidly lead to Weltschmerz and ennui, especially in weak-willed slackers. Thus we have set up a scale (think Libra in a solipsistic universe) with happiness on one side and sorrow on the other. Happiness is a very vague term, but let us define it as that which humans seek to maximise as the end-point of the will to power, although an alternative strategy would be to minimise sorrow, which leads to ennui instead. In this model ennui may be considered as an attempt to hold onto the weighing pan containing sorrow so as to maintain balance. Holding on to the 'sorrow' pan of course prevents the 'happiness' pan from moving as well.
Feedback mechanisms exist at this level as well. The attainment of happiness reinforces belief in the grand narrative of progress, leading to further self-actualisation. However, happiness requires effort on the hedonic treadmill, leading to continued struggle. This creates a cycle, a perpetual motion machine, an hourglass oubliette.
What is our way out of this cycle? Our key lies in the fact that happiness and sorrow are result-dependent in this model. In truth, happiness and sorrow are choices we can make. Happiness is not about having good things happen to you; it is about what you do when bad things happen. Weltschmerz is the understanding of 'sunt lacrimae rerum', whereas happiness is the understanding and preference of 'sunt risus rerum'. These comprehensions are not incompatible - hence Weltschmerz may lead to serenity instead of ennui. Thus armed with happiness, one may safely proceed down the path to the Übermensch.
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