That to Study Philosophy is to Learn to Die

In this essay, Montaigne makes his case on why people should not fear or try to avoid death. Many of his examples, I admit, make sense. Near the end, when he is speaking as Nature, he says, "A thousand men, a thousand animals, a thousand other creatures, die at the same moment that you die." This reminded me of a novel I read recently for a literature class, The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Death is a strong theme in that book as well, considering it is set in a post-apocalyptic world where everything is either dead or dying. In one point, the man and the boy come across an old man, Ely, with which they share some food. The man and Ely are talking about being the last man on the earth. The man says, " How would you know if you were the last man on earth?" Ely replies, " I dont guess you would know it. You'd just be it." "Nobody would know it." "It wouldnt make any difference. When you die its the same as if everybody else did too." (p. 170) In a way, the characters of the novel have embraced Montaigne's ideas. Though only because there is little hope left in living; those that have not died or committed suicide wish they were no longer alive. Anyway, that passage of the essay made me immediately think of the one in the novel. And they make a lot of sense. As far as you're concerned, when you die, nothing else continues to exist; for you, everything has died with you.
(p.s. Please ignore the lack of apostrophes in the McCarthy quote. That's just the way he wrote it.)