Reading sections from Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, one of the main texts I will be using in my thesis. We are studying him for a week in M&I...

Argh... the thing about philosophy is that you just can't do the readings and go to class expecting to understand. It takes so much effort to painstakingly go through each line... why did he say this... what does he mean...

Sometimes it feels as if I am missing something very fundamental to understanding philosophical texts. It feels as if there is a giant door blocking my way to understanding, and occasionally I can peek through the keyhole and actually see something beyond it, but most of the time I am stuck with the door in front of me, trying to comprehend what could actually be behind it. Why is this door there in the first place? Why is so hard to understand sometimes?

That is how I feel... the best way I can explain it... surely other students feel this too? Or am I just downright clueless?

But, I guess, truth be told... I am, however, enjoying the task of attempting to break this door down. It's frustrating, and long hours... stressful.... but so rewarding in the end even if I haven't completely understood. I guess that is why I continued studying philosophy.