For my part, I think Dumbledore could have made a more compelling argument. One can easily claim that one should fear death, and that in fact everyone alive already does, whatever their belief system says. But saying that is like saying one should wash one’s hands before eating, until someone washes their hands until they bleed. Or that protecting people against harm is a good thing, until someone enslaves everyone against their will in order to better protect them...
Dark wizards do not merely fear death, or simply desire immortality, like we all do. They are obsessed with it—consumed with it, to the point of a mental illness, such that they are willing to do any harm to anyone in order to avoid their own mortality. That was the element in Voldomort’s psyche that Dumbledore couldn’t understand.
For my part, I think Dumbledore could have made a more compelling argument. One can easily claim that one should fear death, and that in fact everyone alive already does, whatever their belief system says. But saying that is like saying one should wash one’s hands before eating, until someone washes their hands until they bleed. Or that protecting people against harm is a good thing, until someone enslaves everyone against their will in order to better protect them...
Dark wizards do not merely fear death, or simply desire immortality, like we all do. They are obsessed with it—consumed with it, to the point of a mental illness, such that they are willing to do any harm to anyone in order to avoid their own mortality. That was the element in Voldomort’s psyche that Dumbledore couldn’t understand.
I don’t think Harry understands it either.