That good night: gift or punishment?

[Gurthang]

Originally Posted by alatar

I know that it's spelled out that Eru gives the Gift of Death to Men and that Melkor perverts this knowledge so that instead of accepting this gift, men fear it.

I suddenly find this point very interesting. Not because it's wrong, because I agree with it.

Say that Men did view death as a gift. Would it not make sense that they would then 'give' this gift to themselves at any given time. With the knowledge that they would be drawn closer to Eru, who would not want to just get on with that stage of existance? If they truly saw death as a gift, then none of them would live very long at all.

And that's where the fear comes in. Since they are afraid of death, they certainly don't want to be 'given' that gift. The fact that it is displeasing to them actually keeps them alive longer, which I assume is what Eru wants. If he did want all men to be swiftly drawn to him, would he not just bring them to him immediately? Rather, he put them in Middle-Earth for a reason, and them fearing death is what keeps them there until whenever they are supposed to leave.