Stop rowing in circles. Start sailing your own course. You have the career, the success, the lifestyle. So why do you feel like you’re losing a battle you never signed up for? Why does every “win” leave you emptier than before? You’re suffering from Hals. In nautical terms, hals means sailing close-hauled—beating against the wind. It’s exhausting, necessary, and temporary. But in our world, hals has become permanent. We confuse effort with virtue. Speed with direction. We row with fury—but forget where we’re going. In Pause to Move Forward, philosopher Maik Nikowski offers a radical antidote: Stop. Not to relax. To rebel. Bridging the fierce individualism of Friedrich Nietzsche and the gentle presence of Thích Nhất Hạnh, Nikowski introduces a new archetype for our age: The Compassionate Overman. This is not a book about “chilling out.” It’s a manifesto for Purity of the Deck—the foundational act of true freedom. Inside, you’ll discover: - Hals Sickness: Why your exhaustion isn’t a personal failure—but a cultural disease. - A Clean Deck: Why caring for your body is the first act of autonomy. - Amor Fati: How to love your fate—storm or calm—and turn it into fuel. - Deep Sailing: How to replace frantic productivity with intentional, present action. You can’t change the wind. But you can adjust your sails. You don’t need a new world. You need a new way of being in the one you already have. Raise your sails. Your voyage begins now.