Quote by John Berger
A man's death makes everything certain about him. Of course, secrets may die with him. And of course, a hundred years later somebody looking through some papers may discover a fact which throws a totally different light on his life and of which all the people who attended his funeral were ignorant. Death changes the facts qualitatively but not quantitatively. One does not know more facts about a man because he is dead. But what one already knows hardens and becomes definite. We cannot hope for ambiguities to be clarified, we cannot hope for further change, we cannot hope for more. We are now the protagonists and we have to make up our minds.
Summary
This quote highlights the transformative power of death. While a person's secrets may go with them, new information may surface in the future that challenges our understanding of their life. However, death solidifies the facts we currently know about a person, making them certain and unchangeable. We have to accept the limitations of death, acknowledging that we cannot expect further clarity or new revelations. As the living, we must take on the role of protagonists and make our own judgments based on the information available to us.
Topics
Death
By John Berger
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