It's not that the last moment is more important -- it is that the last moment is, by definition, the last moment you will be able to reflect on the sum of your

It's not that the last moment is more important -- it is that the last moment is, by definition, the last moment you will be able to reflect on the sum of your experiences. That moment is the culmination of your life. Being aware of it allows you to influence that moment today. I'd not read or heard of Tolstoy's Ilyich. A read of the Wikipedia[1] page, though, suggests that his last moment was incredibly important: in it he came to realize he had not lived fully and was in fact living only for himself. His impending death, up until then viewed selfishly by him, became release for those around him. Once he saw his death as an escape for his loved ones, his pain subsided. [1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Ivan_Ilyich http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Ivan_Ilyich