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I think that's why sleep has been called the 'little death' since ancient times. In a sense, you die every time you sleep, and wake up a slightly different pers
by ColanR 4y ago
I think that's why sleep has been called the 'little death' since ancient times. In a sense, you die every time you sleep, and wake up a slightly different person.
Edit: ya'll have dirty minds. Homer refers to 'sleep as the brother of death' in the Illiad. Apparently Buddha said something similar too, though I can't find a source.
Edit2: just going to leave you with this: "each day is a little life: every waking and rising a little birth, every fresh morning a little youth, every going to rest and sleep a little death." – Arthur Schopenhauer
- CSMastermind 4y agoI wonder if there was some evolutionary advantage to sleep in making death less scary. If you didn't go to sleep every night, then the idea of suddenly becoming unconscious would be absolutely terrifying.
- sandworm101 4y agoOf you see a french character speak of having a little death, it isn't about sleep. To quote the recent BBC series Versailles: "A little death is good for everyone." Louise XIV isn't talking about getting his eight hours.
- wing-_-nuts 4y agoEhem, it's not sleep that's called 'the little death', although it tends to happen in the same place :^)
- pnut 4y agoI understand that expression to have a slightly different meaning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_petite_mort https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_petite_mort
- fipar 4y agoThe Schopenhauer quote reminded me of Saucer-like by Sonic Youth. I always found this line beautiful and now wonder if Lee borrowed the idea from Schopenhauer or if it's just a coincidence: "Every day is just another breath, every night another little death"