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This ebb and flow, this rising and falling, is in the world's very nature ; it would be as logical to hold otherwise as to say that we may have life without death. This is complete nonsense, because, ther very idea of life implies constant death and the very idea of pleasure implies pain. The lamp is constantly burning out, and that is its life. If you want to have life you have to die every moment for it. Life and death are only different expressions for the same thing, looked at from different standpoints; they are the falling and the rising of the same wave, and the two form one whole: One looks at the “fall" side and becomes a pessimist, another looks at the “rise" side and becomes ani optimist. When a boy is going to school and his father and mother are taking care of him, every thing seems blessed to him ; his wants are simplë, he is a great optimist. But the old man, with his varied experience, becomes oalmer, and is sure to have his warmth considerably cooled down. Soj old..nations, with signs of decay all around-them,. are tapt to be less hopeful than new nations.
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