Catch-22

So on my days off, I like to do a little light reading. Lately I have been reading Catch-22 again and came across this dialogue between a pilot and a doctor that seemed relevant to conversations we have had here in the past. Here it is.

"Turn on the light,' Dunbar said.

'There is no light. I dont feel like starting my generator. I used to get a big kick out of saving people's lives. Now I wonder what the hell's the point, since they all have to die anyway.'

'Oh, there's a point all right', Dunbar assured him.

'Is there? What is the point?'

'The point is to keep them from dying as long as you can.'

'Yeah, but what's the point, since they all have to die anyway?'

'The trick is not to think about that.'

'Never mind the trick. What the hell's the point.'

Dunbar pondered in silence for a few moments, 'Who the hell knows."