The idea of death

Alan Moore in Monsters, Maniacs & Moore

Excerpt transcribed from Monsters, Maniacs & Moore, 1987 Central Independent Television documentary, from the series "England: Their England". Directed by Norman Hull.

In western society we seem to be unduly terrified by the idea of death, without ever realising that death is the only thing that gives life any of its sweetness. There's that wonderful anecdote about a zen monk who found himself in the unenviable position of dangling from a cliff-top by a single strawberry bush which he was hanging onto for dear life, which had a single ripe succulent strawberry hanging from the end of its branch. And just below this dangling monk there was a savage man-eating tiger waiting for him to fall, leaping up around his feet, snapping and growling and clawing at 'im. And the monk hangs there and he thinks, "shall I eat the strawberry now?" and he does, and as he eats it on the way down, it tastes absolutely perfect. 

--- Alan Moore

The complete video is available HERE.