[kndyry]

Toward your latter paragraphs, I am reminded of the medieval practice of reflection on mortality, momento mori [0]. There is a great deal of extant architecture and art meant to inspire one to meditate on the subject, for example the Capela dos Ossos in Portugal, whose entrance bears the phrase Nós ossos que aqui estamos pelos vossos esperamos ("We bones that here are, for yours await") [1], and the imagery in Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting The Triumph of Death [2]. It's unfortunate that, despite the amount of rich Western thought dedicated to such contemplations, popular modern literature, as you observe, seems at least generally averse to the subject.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_mori

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capela_dos_Ossos

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Triumph_of_Death

[jasim]

I've come across thoughts about death mostly in Buddhist literature. This is a great introduction to the western Christian outlook on it. Thanks!

I also wanted to recommend Atul Gawande's excellent "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End" to help get a more visceral understanding of death. He talks about how the human body starts degenerating as early as we hit 30, and paints a memorable picture of how every next moment is a moment closer to our death.

[plonh]

Did memento mori comprehend death in the modern way, or did it assume an afterlife that completely changes the meaning of death?