Welcome back to CSS Breakdown: Book by Book — Season 4, where we’re unpacking Will Durant’s timeless reflections in Fallen Leaves. In Episode 5, we explore one of Durant’s most hopeful and poetic ideas — that life, not death, is the ultimate victor.

In this deeply moving episode, we explore Durant’s reflection on death — not as an ending, but as part of life’s larger, enduring rhythm. In a world often fixated on loss, Durant gently reorients us toward continuity, parentage, and the renewal of generations.

🌱 What we discuss:

• The idea that individuals are temporary vessels in a vast and timeless stream of life
• How death makes room for growth, youth, and innovation
• Parentage as a bridge, where vitality and wisdom are passed down to the next generation
• Durant’s image of life as “deathless,” a force that never pauses, always renews
• The symbolic power of children’s joy as life’s ultimate rebuttal to death

This episode reminds us that even as individuals fade, life persists with grace, purpose, and power. Durant doesn’t deny the sorrow of loss — but invites us to see meaning in the cycle, and hope in our role as stewards of something greater.