Is death fair, and should we accept mortality?
Hank called death at 92 fair in 2011 yet still felt it unfair, and says he would rather be mortal and wants to stay alive as long as possible. John said in 2019 that he doesn't need forever, but in 2026 he still has not reconciled himself to the injustice of death.
Axis: death is fair / an acceptable limit ... death is unfair / to be resisted
Positions by date: 9 records in 9 videos. The position did not change in these records.
John
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-04-30 | first on record | Every reprieve is only temporary; as Hank Williams sang, you'll never get out of this world alive; the miracle won't last forever, but John doesn't need forever. | The Thing with Feathers 00:02:25 |
| 2021-11-02 | restate | When young, John thought he could solve death by writing books that would outlast him, but realized that is a fool's errand: books don't live forever either. | enough 00:01:30 |
| 2026-08-03 | restate | John says he still has not reconciled himself to the fundamental injustice of death; he understands that life isn't fair in the abstract but not in day-to-day life. | Esther Day 2026: Some Thoughts on Loss 00:02:13 |
Hank
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12-12 (said on 2011-12-11, implied) | first on record | Hank says death at 92 is by definition fair, even more than fair, unlike a teenager's death, yet it still feels unfair and makes him angry; life is a limited span, and he would rather be mortal than an immortal jellyfish. | Our Grandfather 00:00:57 |
| 2013-03-22 | restate | Hank says insisting on preventing death in every situation is blind to the inevitability of death. | How Much is a Human Life Worth? 00:03:05 |
| 2015-12-18 | restate | Hank sings that death is a gift, because only something that lives can die. | We're All Gonna Die - A Song 00:01:31 |
| 2023-08-11 | restate | Hank says Puss keeps fighting death as much and as long as he can, not to look good for the crowd but to preserve what he loves: time with family and friends. | It's About a YouTuber with Cancer 00:04:06 |
| 2023-12-22 | restate | Hank says mortality is depressing and hard to struggle with, but throughout he very much wanted to stay alive as long as possible, because things are interesting. | Let's Talk About Death 00:02:22 |
| 2025-07-11 | restate | With the right flashlight we need not mourn missing the future; instead we think of others, who will be sad but also alive, happy, scared and joyful, as will people who don't know us. | The Ones Who Love Us 00:03:38 |
Background
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-05-07 | background | Hank, facing 30, says he wouldn't mind being young forever and surveys paths to immortality, though he rejects robot or uploaded life as not really life. (playful) | How to Live Forever 00:00:00 |
| 2021-08-24 | background | Living through all of human history so far would be extremely exhausting, John feels, and would bring him only a quarter of the way through such a lifespan. (playful) | It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video. 00:01:38 |
Dates are upload dates, which set the order. Where the speaker gives a different recording date in the video, it is added as "said on YYYY-MM-DD, implied" (derived from the date said in the video).