"'Aye, we draw to an end. Dying hurts. Nonetheless the forefathers were wise who in their myths made Nan coequal with Lesu. A thing which endured forever would become unendurable. Death opens a way, for peoples as well as for people.'"
-Poul Anderson, There Will Be Time (New York, 1973), XI, p. 124.
Mors ianua vitae.
(For Lesu and Nan, see Maurai Religion.)
I thought that Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker had contained a few remarks by an alien philosopher but have not been able to find them.
We recently read about the thoughts and death of Torvald Anker in Orbit Unlimited.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I fear I would not have been as philosophical or stoic as Carelo Kajimu! I would have more sympathy thought about dying when he said he would make death fight for every centimeter of him. And the same applies to nations and peoples. The natural, even right instinct, is to struggle for survival as long as possible. And even to come back from dead, as happened to Poland!
Sean
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