In ancient times they did not dare to face up to death, yet the experience of natural and man-made disasters, and sickness and disease, created a practical custom and philosophical dialectic which helped them to deal with issue of life and death. Although present-day people still love life and spurn death in the same way, it does seem that they have gradually become able to indirectly address and manage it.
古時候的人不願面對死亡，但面對天災人禍、病痛、惡疾，還是發展出一套實際的禮俗和哲思上的辯證，來處理死生大事；倒是現代人，一樣愛生惡死，卻似乎逐漸能夠不直接面對、處理死亡。