Friedrich Nietzsche was born near Rocken, a small town in the Prussian province of Saxony, on October 15, 1844. Ironically, the philosopher who rejected religion and coined the phrase "God is death” descended from a line of respected ecclesiastics. Nietzsche completed his secondary education at the demanding Pforta boarding school. A brilliant student, he received rigorous training in Latin, Greek and German. In 1864, the young man entered the University of Bonn to study theology and classical philology. A year later, however, he abandoned theology and transferred to the University of Leipzig to pursue a doctorate in philology. In Leipzig, Nietzsche became a fervent admirer of the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, whose work he accidentally discovered in a second-hand bookstore, and of the composer Richard Wagner, whom he met in 1868 and whom he considered his second father. In 1869, at the age of twenty-four, Nietzsche was appointed professor of classical philology at the University of Basel, where he taught for the next ten years. The publication in 1872 of his first major book, The Birth of Tragedy, brought him immediate notoriety. Dedicated to Wagner, it explodes the 19th century conception of Greek culture and echoes themes later developed by 20th century philosophers, psychoanalysts and novelists. Nietzsche's next work, four essays collectively titled Untimely Meditations (1873–1876), focused on contemporary issues and criticism. Two of them attacked German "cultural philistinism" and questioned the value of historical knowledge, while the homages to Schopenhauer and Wagner were reflections on both philosophy and art. Indeed, Human Too Human (1878) represented an entirely new direction in his thinking. Written in an aphoris...... middle of paper...... the best course of action. I believe that if I do well and have good will towards those who deserve it, it will come back to me. However, those who suffer me will feel vengeance like they have never felt before. But generally speaking, I think brotherly love and peace should prevail. What if it was in our own United States, a country I love and despise for its apathetic and desensitized culture. And if we continue on this path of debauchery and illicit warfare, I only hope that I can find somewhere else to live my life. Because, as Nietzsche says, “God is dead”, we therefore only have one life. And my plan is to live it to the fullest. Discover the world and make other people's lives a little brighter.