While I totally see what you're saying, the truth is that the majority of other people also see what you're saying. We say those things because there's nothing really else we can say. We encourage people to "fight it", to "beat it", because what else can we call? "Hey, given how things are going you have a 12% chance of survival. So sit back and just wait to see which result it is, because nothing you do will really matter that much in the process."

My mother-in-law died from cancer, so did my grandmother, and my mother came close. We all know what you're saying is true. It's not exactly some revelation. When we say fight it, when we encourage people to fight hard, It's basically a mutually understood lie.

I also disagree with the premise that by telling someone to fight hard, we are implying that those who lost their battle didn't fight hard. Sometimes you fight as hard as you possibly can and you still lose.