"Things can always get worse," he said vehemently. His experiences in life promised him that, and he wasn't going to let the kid make him feel guilty for feeling that way. "And you're smart, I'm sure you realize that there are things worse than death. Things worse than not being. And I'm not saying sit back and watch it happen, I'm saying that maybe you should consider all possibilities and not just jump into something in the hope of making it different. Because different isn't always better."
He shook his head. He hadn't meant to upset him, although he seemed to have developed an uncanny knack for that lately.