From Tom Merle: FACING DEATH~THE IMPORTANCE OF GRATITUDE One of the great essayists of our time, Joseph Epstein, presents a finely crafted essay on death, which also includes, tangentially, a reference to Epicureanism. One concept he touches on that I believe should be embraced by those with an interest in Epicurus is ~gratitude~ as we face the prospect of dying. No need to read the entire piece. I just wanted to focus on the role that gratitude might play as we sum up our lives. Any comments? “I am, upon the whole, a happy man, have found the world an entertaining place and am thankful to Providence for the part allotted to me in it.” - Sydney Smith (1771-1846) ....I have had a good and lucky run, having been born to honorable and intelligent parents in the most interesting country in the world during a period of unrivaled prosperity and vast technological advance. I prefer to think Ive got the best out of my ability, and have been properly appreciated for what Ive managed to accomplish. One may regard one’s death as a tragic event, or view it as the ineluctable conclusion to the great good fortune of having been born to begin with. I’m going with the latter. Unless the Dirty Tricks Department, which is always very active, gets to me, and makes my final years, months, days on Earth a hell of pain and undignified suffering, I shall regret my departure from life. On his deathbed, Goethe’s last words are said to have been, “More light, more light.” Gertrude Stein, on hers, asked, “What is the answer?” and when no one replied, laughed and asked, “Then what is the question?” I don’t have a final draft of my own deathbed words, but I do have a theme, which is unembarrassed thanksgiving. from commentarymagazine/article/death-takes-no-holiday/
Posted on: Sat, 14 Jun 2014 08:50:56 +0000
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