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Comment by JshWright | Hacker News Reader

The whole situation was terrible, but given the context, I wouldn't describe his passing as "sad"

"Early one morning, a week and a half after Jo stopped eating, he peacefully exited the world with the people who loved him most by his side. He had not spent a single day in a hospital or long-term care facility."

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Yes, maybe, I understand completely. Still, the final loss of a person, even if he wasn't himself anymore, is sad. It's the point of no return, the ultimate last step. Which I think to some degree is, always, sad.

That he died peacefully really is graceful.

One time I came to visit my dad in the care home, travelled home all the way from abroad. My dad was wandering outside in the garden and I was trying hard to remember the code of the gate to enter the facility. And then I heard it my dad calling my name. It’s was the greatest thing I heard. He hadn’t called me by name or recognised me in such manner for years. My siblings were jealous :)

That's wonderful! :)

My opinion is that death doesn't have to be sad. That's all a matter of perspective. It shouldn't necessarily be celebrated (death itself, not the person who died), but it does help to remember that often times, death means the end of suffering and pain.

True!

I really like the stoic philosophy regarding death. It agrees with what you’re saying. One of the key reasons why the end of suffering is good (even if it’s sad) is that the suffering person can’t really function as a human being anymore. If you’re no longer able to fulfill your role and your days are unbalanced with suffering, it’s considered sensible and honourable to die peacefully and intentionally. You were nothing for an eternity, you did your best to be a good person, now you’ll go back to that quiet nothing. It was fine that you didn’t exist, you existed, and it’ll be fine that you don’t exist.

Obviously this tidy philosophy doesn’t mesh with things like murder or other untimely deaths. It just encapsulates nicely why sometimes death is a good thing. And why we shouldn’t fear it.

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