I'd like to share some small thoughts on death that emerged from my discussion with a good friend:
"Maybe the question of death should precede the question of life."
If we take the question of death as seriously as the question of life, then maybe we can say that we have started off with a wrong starting point in our search for our personal meaning in life. Most of us take our current situation as the starting point from where we try to find ways to alter our current situation into happier states. Maybe, in order to gain true happiness, we should start with the undeniable fact that one day we will die. It’s the surest thing that will happen to us so why not simply accept it. Once we accept it, we don’t feel the need to deceive ourselves anymore in fairytales of after-lives, of God, of any other metaphysical being or otherworld. Then, by being conscious of death and being free from death anxiety, we can finally accept ourselves as ultimately responsible for our own lives. It’s empowering as it places tremendous power into our own bodies.
Albert Camus’ existential statement that
“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide”
then suddenly may be not very far out of place. He might have seen that the question of death should precede the question of life as well.
Being aware of non-existence makes us aware of the grand possibilities of existence
Ultimately, our being-towards-death creates the awareness of the possibilities of existence. In order to be aware of these, one must be aware of the possibility of nonexistence – hence being aware that one day we will die and not exist anymore. Being aware of this fact could struck us with anxiety, but it might as well encourage us to build an authentic life.
Inauthentic existence is grounded in preoccupation with actuality. It is not aware of our eventual death, it does not see the importance of possibility, and is therefore extremely dull and poor. Authentic existence, on the other hand, is aware of the metaphysical significance of death.
