Die at the Right Time

Die at the right time: it is the most disturbing teaching in the book, and Clancy Martin translated every word of it. He brings an authority he has written about openly: he attempted suicide, survived, and is glad to be alive. So when he insists on the distinction the chapter turns on, between a chosen death, deliberated and accompanied, and the lonely act of despair he calls, nearly always, a mistake, he is not speaking theoretically. The chapter asks what makes a life finished: a goal, an heir, a child, a book, a tree. Near the end the episode becomes a conversation, and the question is put to Martin directly.

Content note: this episode includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you love is struggling, or thinking about suicide, you don't have to carry it alone. In the United States, you can call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time, or chat online at 988lifeline.org. Outside the United States, findahelpline.com lists free, confidential support lines by country.