[ElProlactin]

> Saying goodbye would have been easier had we known with certainty there was no hope.

I found this to be the most interesting theory in the post because I'm not convinced it's at all true.

[tclancy]

My mom always said never to judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. I could walk a whole marathon and still wouldn’t feel like I had perspective enough to judge people in this case. The story made me gasp at that point like I’d been struck.

(And then there was the whole “antinatalist” bit and I am trying really hard to keep this dude’s shoes tied so I will stop there)

[ElProlactin]

To be fair, I think it's easy to believe this. It seems logical that if you knew for sure that someone you loved was dying, you'd be in a better position to accept it, but human experience is more than logic.

Speaking from my own first-hand experience, saying "goodbye" is never easy regardless of the circumstances. Every goodbye has its own texture and none is "easier" than another. They're just...different.