Death, it is a subject hardly spoken about, often feared and regularly fought against. So let's talk about it now.
According to Japers (1932 as cited from Cooper & Adams, 2005), death could be defined as an inexorable given of the human condition that which one cannot escape from. I have found some relief in the knowledge that death is inescapable. I find the circle of life (we live then die and it goes on) to be a beautiful feature of the world.
Those before me lived and created history and died so that I can be present in this world for a while to enjoy all that has been. My personal belief is that if there was no death, we wouldn’t be seeing the process of the world evolving. With new blood comes new ideas and my world view is that old blood must give way for new blood.
I feel that Japers (1932 as cited from Cooper & Adams, 2005) supports my idea of the world evolving through life and death with the sentiment of death being a binding point of existence. In death one’s projects and possibilities come to an end and all is finalised. It is this end that either creates anxiety or pushes one to live in the moment day by day and make the most of what is given.
buddymantra.com
I find that I live day by day absorbing all that I can to have as much as a full life as I am able to. An example of this is a decision made in 2014 to no longer interact with certain family members who brought me a lot of stress and anxiety.
These family members brought my life down and I was not able to live authentically to myself. The decision was motivated by not knowing when my time will be up. My suspicion was that on my deathbed, I would wish that I had stuck up for myself by not interacting with those family members who chose not to respect me. I moved on and am happier and more content for it.
We are unique to other species as we are born with the knowledge that we will die but when and how we do not know. It is this knowledge that has been said to be the cause of great distress and anxiety.
Death has been present in all ages, all that may vary is how one sees and interprets death. I for instance from a young age (around about ten) have not been worried about death, or life no longer being as I know it now. Nyatanga and DeVocht (2006 as cited from Lee & King, 2014) express that the anxiety around death can be due to one’s culture where there is an avoidance of discussion around death and dying.
I personally believe this to be so as I was brought up in a religious family that talked openly about death and its expectations. I hence grew up not to fear death but embrace it as just a waiting point in god’s will. The belief was that death is the silent nonexistent stage where one waits for god to set up his kingdom and raise us up from the dead. One would still mourn the death of a loved one but wait for Christ’s coming.
Though I do not believe in this or a god it did however from a young age introduce me to death without much trauma.
During adulthood and since my separation from the religion, I have found death to be welcoming for other reasons. It is my personal belief that death is a welcoming essence to life as we live and struggle through life to achieve our outcomes.
I fear the thought of eternal life not death; death is my relief to the world’s sufferings. Death is the gift after our sufferings on the earth an end to all; no more life no more breathe and a time of nothing as a rest from humanity.
dreamcatcher.com
What are your thoughts involving death? I find it to be an interesting subject to discuss different ideas of it.