Friedrich_Nietzsche - Untimely_Meditations_(Cambridge_Texts_in_the_History_of_Philosophy__1997)

Untimely Meditationsible, against the soldering of time-bound things on to his ownuntimeliness; and in the end the supposed child of his time proves tobe only its stepchild. Thus Schopenhauer strove from his early youthagainst that false, idle and unworthy mother, his age, and by as itwere expelling her from him, he healed and purified his being andrediscovered himself in the health and purity native to him. That iswhy Schopenhauer's writings can be used as a mirror of his age; andit is certainly not due to a fault in the mirror if everything timeboundin his age appears as a disfiguring illness, as thin and pale, asenervated and hollow eyed, as the recognizable sufferings of hisstepchildhood. The longing for a stronger nature, for a healthier andsimpler humanity, was in his case a longing for himself; and when hehad conquered his age in himselfhe beheld with astonished eyes thegenius in himself. The secret of his being was now revealed to him,the intention of his stepmother age to conceal his genius fro m himwas frustrated, the realm of transfigured physis was disclosed. Whenhe now turned his fearless eye upon the question: 'What is life worthas such?' - it was no longer a confused aoo pallid age and its hypocritical,uncertain life upon which he had to pass judgment. He knewwell that there is something higher and purer to be found andattained on this earth than the life of his own time, and that he whoknows existence only in this ugly shape, and assesses it accordingly,does it a grave injustice. No, genius itself is now summoned, so thatone may hear whether genius, the highest fruit of life, can perhapsjustify life as such; the glorious, creative human being is now toanswer the question: 'Do you affirm this existel1ce in the depths ofyour heart? Is it sufficient fo r you? Would you be its advocate, itsredeemer? For you have only to pronounce a single heartfelt Yes!and life, though it faces such heavy accusations, shall go free.' - Whatanswer will he give? - The answer of Empedocles.4This last remark may be allowed to remain incomprehensible fo r themoment: for I have now to deal with something extremely comprehensible,namely to explain how through Schopenhauer we areall able to educate ourselves against our age- because through him wepossess the advantage of really knowing this age. Supposing, that is,that it is an advantage! In any event, it may no longer be possible acouple of centuries hence. I find it amusing to reflect on the idea thatmankind may sometime soon grow tired of reading and that writers146