For Schopenhauer, the Will was not something to be glorified, although Nietzsche took Schopenhauer's concept of the Will in a positive direction under the theme of the Will to Power. For Schopenhauer, however, the Will or Force as some have said within the human person is something to be fought. We are at the mercy of this Will and it is infectiously present in all that we do. We are slaves to the Will and it is the ultimate cause of all our suffering. In short, Schopenhauer argued that we are slaves to the Will.
But Schopenhauer was not pessimistic to the point of absolute despair regarding the individuals struggle with the will. He argued there is a way to conquer the will. Interestingly, he argued that the arts, and in particular music is the means through which the Will is overcome. This is true because the arts lead to contemplation and contemplation provides a means for us to transcend our individual existence and to find a connection with the Universal Will. Through participation in the arts and we can discover some degree of objectivity and consequently can be freed from our striving for the transient and temporary goals of our lives.
