Item — HN Reader

Just a note (and please tell me if its OT/inappropriate), but with these types of events, people often concentrate on the 'what' that made it happen. However, the way a man dies does not define him. It is his work and contribution, which James had a ton of. I personally think celebrating James' contributions to open source, and his talks, and writing does him much more justice than speculating at a cause of death.

RIP

4 comments

This is very true, however many people also achieve understanding and closure through details. It allows them to absorb what at first blush seems incomprehensible. Is there something they could have done, should they have known if he was ill, etc. We want to understand how this could have happened. You're right, it doesn't define the person though, but it helps frame the reality of the shock.

This is true. Personally, I have always dealt with death in a strange way (compared to peers). Thank you for the insight.

I think the reason we focus on the 'what' is our own fear of death. We ask to check in our heads how likely it is for that thing to happen to us.

I'm a little frustrated by posts like this because it tries to make me feel guilty about my natural and abundant curiosity. Which includes how he went. The same abundant curiosity that got me into Ruby early on in the first place.

While true, there is definitely a difference between someone dying a natural death or dying from drug OD.