“Therefore death is nothing to us, nor does it concern us a bit.”Lucretius · Despre natura lucrurilor · -55 · Cartea III, versul 830
Death does not concern us, because we never coexist with it.
Lucretius argues that as long as we exist, death is not present, and when death comes, we no longer exist. There is no sensation or suffering after death. Just as the years before birth do not bother us, the years after should not frighten us. This frees man from the fear of death.
Why it matters In a culture obsessed with longevity, this idea offers a way to live without anxiety about death, focusing on the present.