It is concerning how many people live based on a set of guidelines that they believe will allow them to enter eternal paradise; a place whose existence they are unsure of. In On the Nature of Things, he alludes to the fact that everything in life experiences death, saying “The four that make this universe, are all / Composed of bodies that are born and die, / We must conclude the world is born and dies” (V. 92-94). Referring to earth, air, fire, and water, the four elements that many believed composed the Earth, Lucretius is pointing out that everything dies, so fearing it will change nothing. He later goes on to say that “Surely the heavens and earth must also have / A time of origin and a time of death” (V. 100-101). Here, Lucretius is placing the gods on a human level. He is specifying how the heavens, the home of the gods, suffers the same fate as humanity, leading the audience to assume that the inhabitants must suffer along with their home. If the gods suffer the same fate as everyone else, then they likely are not the best role models in terms of how to live forever. There is no escaping or finessing death; therefore, it is simply illogical to spend one’s life living in fear
It is concerning how many people live based on a set of guidelines that they believe will allow them to enter eternal paradise; a place whose existence they are unsure of. In On the Nature of Things, he alludes to the fact that everything in life experiences death, saying “The four that make this universe, are all / Composed of bodies that are born and die, / We must conclude the world is born and dies” (V. 92-94). Referring to earth, air, fire, and water, the four elements that many believed composed the Earth, Lucretius is pointing out that everything dies, so fearing it will change nothing. He later goes on to say that “Surely the heavens and earth must also have / A time of origin and a time of death” (V. 100-101). Here, Lucretius is placing the gods on a human level. He is specifying how the heavens, the home of the gods, suffers the same fate as humanity, leading the audience to assume that the inhabitants must suffer along with their home. If the gods suffer the same fate as everyone else, then they likely are not the best role models in terms of how to live forever. There is no escaping or finessing death; therefore, it is simply illogical to spend one’s life living in fear