I thought the following quote from the article made me think back to a rich history:
"For many Americans, modern medical advances have made death seem more like an option than an obligation."
In 1912, F. M. Cornford wrote that the Greeks had a view of fate where life was circumscribed by limits both in length and law, and and where when one stepped outside these limits, the debt of life is repaid in death.
One of the interesting elements of my study of Norse myth is that the exact same pattern shows up there (although the last time I tried to fully expound that it took me 10 pages!). The overall structure seems to be that the foundation of life is a primal lot or layer which is bound by law, and incurs a debt (Old Norse 'skuld,' the name of the third Norn means 'debt') and given back at the end of life. The idea that death repays the debt that was loaned as life is a very interesting one, and it gives a sense of an obligation not only to live well but also to die well as well.
"For many Americans, modern medical advances have made death seem more like an option than an obligation."
In 1912, F. M. Cornford wrote that the Greeks had a view of fate where life was circumscribed by limits both in length and law, and and where when one stepped outside these limits, the debt of life is repaid in death.
One of the interesting elements of my study of Norse myth is that the exact same pattern shows up there (although the last time I tried to fully expound that it took me 10 pages!). The overall structure seems to be that the foundation of life is a primal lot or layer which is bound by law, and incurs a debt (Old Norse 'skuld,' the name of the third Norn means 'debt') and given back at the end of life. The idea that death repays the debt that was loaned as life is a very interesting one, and it gives a sense of an obligation not only to live well but also to die well as well.