Zelenskyy, Nietzche's Last Man, and the Jesus Way

We just installed new carpet in a few places. One particular room is so cozy, I struggle to leave it. How many of our personal or societal goals are structured around our own comfort? In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Fredrich Nietzche wrote about a figure he called “the Last Man.” Nietzche hoped this character would disgust the reader. Instead, this figure has become our goal, and is all-too-descriptive of our decadent society. Wikipedia gives the gist of this figure, “The last man is only possible by mankind having bred an apathetic person or society who loses the ability to dream, to strive, and who become unwilling to take risks, instead simply earning their living and keeping warm.” This familiar figure or society is living to stay alive. 

We are seeing on the world stage, the futility of placing ultimate value in survival. There are bad actors who don’t share our commitment to our own survival. They have been captivated by a larger vision. That vision might be consumer dominance, realm dominance (Putin), or ideological dominance. These big visions captivate, then motivate. They hold those who hold them. They give meaning and purpose and vindication to life. 

Consider the irony. One group’s goal is to stay alive at all cost. The other group’s goal is to dominate, even if it means death. Who wins in this scenario? Not the group whose goal is just “stayin alive.” 

Enter Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine. Why does he intrigue us so? It is evident that he is not Nietzche’s “Last Man.” Nor is he consumed by dominating others. He appears to be captivated by the high calling of public service. When given the option to escape, to save himself, he defiantly said, “I don’t need a ride, I need ammunition.” 

As we have been reflecting on the passion of Jesus in Luke 22, can we see the Last-Man-survival-commitment in his disciples and in ourselves? If our main goal in life is comfort, survival, and putting off death as long as possible, there is no way to follow Jesus to the cross. Jesus put it this way, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit if you gain the whole world and lose yourself?” Luke 9.24-25.

Living not to die is not really living. Have you met someone who felt like they cheated death? Maybe they recovered from a terminal illness, or an offended spouse forgave them, or they got a pardon from prison? Often, those kinds of people are really alive! This is actually us. We can be really alive–not just putting off death. Paul says, “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3.3). And, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6.4).

Now, on to the business of really living–abundant living. Even death can’t steal the Jesus life from us.