So said Zarathustra by Nietzsche has been on my reading list for years. I finally got around to it recently.
Although I didn’t really like the book, there was a chapter called “On Voluntary Death” that stood out to me.
This idea:
Live so fully and intentionally that when death comes, it feels like completion rather than interruption.
I love it.
Think about it. Most of us don’t live like that.
We drift, we procrastinate, we stay on a trajectory we know isn’t right.
And then one day it’s over…
That is why we fear death.
Nietzsche wrote:
“Truly, a man who never lived at the right time could hardly die at the right time! It would be better if he had never been born!”
A person who has never truly lived, who has not submitted to others, who has been late, who has copied and who has never been himself, cannot really “die in due time.”
Why?
Because for Nietzsche, the “right time” does not depend on age. It’s about maturity.
He admired the idea of man who lives with such intensity, purpose and self-command Even death is not something that happens to them, but becomes a part of their life.
Courage to live life on your own terms
One should live so fully that when death comes, it will be like a finished bow.
If you never have the courage to live your life, create your values, take action and be who you are, then your death will be passive.
It will simply be a biological shutdown. Not the end of a life well lived.
Now the question arises: what does a prosperous life look like?
Here’s how Nietzsche saw it:
“He who ends his life dies triumphantly, surrounded by people full of hope and solemn oaths.”
Surrounded by people full of hope. This image stayed with me. It describes a person whose life inspires others to be better.
At the end of the day, a person is surrounded not only by grief, but by people who encourage him to continue what he started.
This is a legacy. Not glory. Not money. Not a building with your name on it.
People made better by just knowing you.
Your children. Your friends. Your colleagues. Someone you coached ten years ago.
A reader whose life was changed because of something you wrote. Everyone who crosses your path and leaves the meeting is a little different.
I think you can only achieve this by living your life on your own terms.
But many live in fear, fear of what others will think of themtaking no risks and never growing.
We must grow or we will die
Nietzsche then gets difficult:
“For many, life is a failure: a poisonous worm eats his heart.”
He is talking about the fact that you are not living as you know you are.
Because you are wasting time. You hold. That you have your own version it’s not to be
This is a poisonous worm. Not the situation. Not luck. The gap between who you are and who you know you can be.
Most people live with this gap their whole lives and never close it. They stay on the branch not because they can’t fly, but because they are afraid.
Nietzsche says: “It is cowardice that fastens it to its horn.”
We all know what it means to keep our affiliate. We want to go out into the world and do something, but we can’t.
We stay put.
But it seems like an early death. We must grow or we will die. We have to keep moving.
The recent birth of a son has made this more clear to me than ever before.
He sees what I do. What I value, he absorbs.
There are still many areas in my life that I want to improve.
How I treat people, how I deal with adversity, how I show up when faced with adversity…all of these things play a role in who he is.
How to live like this in practice
Nietzsche concludes the chapter:
“In your death your spirit and virtue must still shine like the setting sun on earth: otherwise yours is a bad death.”
I love how it’s described as a sunset glow. Not yet explosion or something great.
A warmth that lingers long after you’re gone.
Here’s what it looks like in practice:
- Do your work well because it represents you, not for recognition.
- Be honest with the people around you, even if it costs you.
- Show people who need you, especially when it’s inconvenient.
- Create something that will last longer than the moment.
- Treat the people closest to you as your most important audience, because they are.
None of these are great. It all comes together.
It’s not about being remembered. You will be by someone in a way.
The question is what they will remember.
