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>it encourages us to celebrate that they ever existed in the first place. Their existence was already being celebrated while they were alive. You've probably c
by Retra 12y ago
>it encourages us to celebrate that they ever existed in the first place.
Their existence was already being celebrated while they were alive. You've probably celebrated your own existence several times already.
>The uniqueness of a human's achievement is not invalidated or "wasted" by their passing.
The stuff that is wasted no longer exists for you to measure. You don't know what you've lost because you've never seen it.
- spopejoy 12y agoThere's a difference between "lost" and "wasted". Yes, those who pass are lost, and all their precious thoughts and unwritten masterpieces are gone forever. But "wasted"? The definition above says "carelessly, extravagantly, to no purpose". Death is neither "careless" or "extravagant" but simply the inescapable truth that all things must pass. Whether it has a "purpose" is a religious question. Just because death is terrifying and a total drag, doesn't mean it doesn't have an important role in the totality of our existence. It's part of the picture, reminding us that we're just animals, no matter how bright our shiny toys are.
- Retra 12y agoImportance doesn't imply goodness. WW2 was important, but it was still a waste; we didn't learn anything from it that our best people didn't already know. So what is the point of letting people die? What _reason_ do you have to do it? Some vague appeal to nature/tradition isn't going to cut it.