Great Books Ep 114. Herodotus - The History - Book 5 (Terpsichore). Weeping for the Newborn, Cheering for the Dead

When you are in a hopeless situation, death means a definitive end to pain, end of agony, end of fear, exploitation, humiliation and utter sadness.

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“When a child is born all its kindred sit round about it in a circle and weep for the woes it will have to undergo now that it is come into the world, making mention of every ill that falls to the lot of humankind; when, on the other hand, a man has died, they bury him with laughter and rejoicings, and say that now he is…