[wynand]

"accomplished far, far more than you or I ever will"

This is a common snowclone (X is <far superior in some dimension - often intelligence> than you or I) that really bothers me. It's a kind of hero worship that attributes too much to the hero in question and makes unfounded assertions about "you or I".

I can understand that people become enthuisiastic about their heroes and that exaggeration is even a form of showing respect. But too much is no good for anyone.

[hugh3]

Can't we all just accept that the whole "I am so sad that X is gone" combined with the "Oh well, he was 85 and lived a good life" thing is just a natural part of the human dealing-with-death process? Do we have to take it all so literally and deconstruct every part of it?

I'll be the first to admit that the reason I'm sad about the not-particularly-untimely death of some dude I've never met has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with the reminder that I, and everybody I care about, will also die at some point. Mouthing the meaningless platitudes which we associate with death helps to take the sting away.