thejohngaltline

Maybe remorse is the wrong word. But I do think it is logical and not reprehensible to experience displeasure at the knowledge of one's own end, if one is living a valuable life. Even understanding that death is natural and that it must happen allows for this sort of emotion. Yes, volcanoes erupt, but they do not rob us of our work.

My thinking is that, as was said in the previous thread, death is not important. It is life, and life's work, that is. However, I do acknowledge that as thinking, reasoning beings, thoughts of death and the "null and void" associated with it (as the previous poster identified) are a natural thing. As an individual who values life and the beauty and potential it offers, remorse must inevitably accompany thoughts of its end. However, this remorse must not dictate our actions, behaviors, or thoughts in any other way than by encouraging decisions that are in the best interest of prolonging life and making it valuable. Here is a quote I've found helpful on this topic: "Achieving life is not the equivalent of avoiding death. Joy is not "the absence of pain," intelligence is not "the absence of stupidity," light is not "the absence of darkness," an entity is not "the absence of a nonentity." Building is not done by abstaining from demolition; centuries of sitting and waiting in such abstinence will not raise one single girder for you to abstain from demolishing... Existence is not a negation of negatives." --Taken from Galt's speech in Atlas Shrugged

Thank you everyone, for the responses. Had I gone a month further in my traversing of the archives I would have stumbled upon those great comments. Thank you, that's a bit of information I've never collected. Can anyone recommend a good biography of Rand's life?

[Note: Merged with an earlier thread - softwareNerd] I'm new, so I'll make the obligatory apology for bringing up a topic that may have been previously discussed. I am curious as to everyone's thoughts on death as it relates to an objectivist's life. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe as an objectivist and atheist, it is only logical that following death there is nothing (ie no afterlife), as one's consciousness must surely cease to exist when the biological processes fueling it no longer function. How does this affect the life lead by an objectivist? Is death to be met, then, as it is by Kira in We The Living? Or is it something to be accepted as a logical inevitability and given no greater thought? Also, does anyone know what caused Rand's death? Google has let me down on that one.