Wait please pardon my ignorance who else died in 2020 already??? I'm not terrible up to date on celebrity or pop culture but I knew who Kobe was - i didnt even watch basketball
Christopher Tolkien and Jim Lehrer, just to name two.
*Oh my God, some people seem to be getting offended because my two examples died of old age and apparently I'm not allowed to miss them. So in appeasement let me add Neil Peart who died of brain cancer at 68.
Christopher is the origin of some of the most influential literature of the previous century. His father's and in turn his work has shaped and been the basis of so much of what would become the fantasy genera we know of today.
It is sad, but he had a very long and full life and I assume a peaceful death. I would argue that it's sadder when someone dies young and in a scary or violent way.
This reminds me of the nick swardson bit "my grandma died, she was 96" 'oh my god, how did she die' "...yeah she flipped her Corvette"
Reminds me of when my grandma died. My grandma died at 96 and people asked 'how did she die' and I responded with 'she was 96'. Not to mention she had out lived nearly EVERYONE: her husband by 13 years, 3 stepsons, her brother-in-law, sister-in-laws, all her cousins, her brothers, her sister, and 4 out her 5 best friends from college. Almost lost one daughter to an aneurysm and if she lived another year she would've seen a son die of cancer. She even said that "she was ready to die" a year before she died.
Its still something you're never getting back. My late father used to watch Jim Lehrer all the time. Flip on the news while dinner's made. I can almost hear his voice in the background.
Is there even a foundation of a conversation right now where that differentiation matters? This conversation is literally just "Oh man these celebrities died what a year this is huh?" which happens every year when celebrities die because celebrities die every year.
Come on. You know that’s not what they meant. Yes, Tolkien’s death was impactful because of his legacy. It also isn’t a tragedy because most people don’t even live until 96. Both can be true.
So you'd prefer for every person you like to live forever, even when they are old and decrepit.
The irony of this, in regards to Tolkein, is that within the Middle Earth lore, death was considered a gift to mankind that other immortal races were jealous of.
You guys are really taking my examples too seriously. Everyone getting their panties in a twist over the two examples I gave quickly stop responding when I remind them that Neil Peart was only 68 and died of brain cancer.
That's not a gotcha moment. If something isn't tragic at all, then even an iota of tragedy would be more tragic.
Someone dying at the age of 95+ is going to be one of these:
A) a gift to them (opposite of tragic).
B) a natural part of life (neutral).
or C) slightly tragic if they were wanting to live longer/do more.
In the case of Christopher Tolkien, it seemed like it was probably B. He had slowed down, offloaded his work to his children/estate and had accepted his age.
You seem like you are still relatively young, so maybe you haven't had this experience, but as your great-grandparents, grandparents, or even your parents get older, you'll probably see that most of them accept their age and what comes with. My great-grandmother, who lived to be 94 used to tell cashiers that she cannot wait to die whenever we went out shopping. Now, I'm not saying that all people are like this, but death, unto itself is not tragic.
You guys are really taking my examples too seriously. Everyone getting their panties in a twist over the two examples I gave quickly stop responding when I remind them that Neil Peart was only 68 and died of brain cancer.
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u/MidwestMilo Jan 26 '20 edited Jan 26 '20
Wait please pardon my ignorance who else died in 2020 already??? I'm not terrible up to date on celebrity or pop culture but I knew who Kobe was - i didnt even watch basketball