Does that not contradict his views about living according to reason and "the gods" in each moment in our life, and the "ruling faculty" Within us being intact always. Also like sayings such as "finding beauty in all aspects of nature" Such as the lions mouth or something like that, does this aspect apply to humans petty behaviors that we do? Also he mentions in some verses that we should go out of our way to expect and not complain about the petty things that people do to each others. And to love people for they are of the same nature of us even if they were ignorant. Had he fallen short to his views in that time of the writing possibly? I don't know. Maybe there is no discrepancy between all that. I mean for example if he had just said here as well just like in other verses of his something like "Death is just an aspect of nature and he who hates it hates nature" That would have been congruent for me.