Themes
We do not count a man's years until he has nothing else to count.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Counting years is presented as a fallback when other things cease to matter or accumulate. Repeating count connects numerical age with a wider sense of what gives life substance. The remark shifts attention from how long someone has lived to what still occupies that life.
Context reviewed