Quick and painless vs. slow and painful

The Odyssey
BOOK 12: CATTLE OF THE SUN
pg. 282

Eurylochus - "All ways of dying are hateful to us poor mortals,
true, but to die of hunger, starve to death--
that's the worst of all...
I'd rather die at sea, with one deep gulp of death,
than die by inches on this desolate island here!"

Kurt Cobain (from Neil Young song "Hey Hey, My My", in his suicide note) -
"It's better to burn out than to fade away."

Eurylochos is speaking of the temptation to not suffer, if the same fate is inevitable either way. It's ironic because his fate is sealed once he kills one of Helios's cattle. There is always temptation to "just get it over with", so the slow decline of whatever the case may be, either fame or life, isn't being endured. In both cases, they chose the indulgent way out, something fundamentally selfish, but somewhat understandable in desperate situations.