20 December, 2006

Who Wants To Live Forever

The following is taken from the middle of the post:
I'm sure King Leonidas & his men didn't have a death wish. They weren't suicidal & if given the choice they'd have opted for living a little while longer. But they didn't see any way to live & still stop the invading Persian army. I suspect they knew they'd die someday & they'd rather it be while defending their homes than watching their grandchildren bow their knees to a foreign master.

"Only the rocks live forever. It matters not how long you live, but how you live."

That's an old Native American saying. (Some folks may remember the first part as the title of the first episode of the 1978 mini-series Centennial). But the sentiment is as ancient as mankind itself. No one wants to die - or at least most people don't want to die - for its own sake. Sure there are folks who are despondent about a lost love or their failing bodies & they see death as the only way to end their suffering, but most folks don't look at death as the most desirable outcome out of all possible options.
It is one of the finest posts I have read- now go read the rest of it.

WP

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