The Fear of Death

[bigbang101]

The fear of death is something, most of us come across at one point in our lives. Some might overcome it and others may dread it for the rest of their lives until they lay down on their deathbed themselves. This 'myTake' is an effort in helping those who cannot grasp this fear and maybe to some extent it might help them rise above their fear and may also appreciate this blessing called 'Death'.

So lets begin by asking ourselves, why do we fear death? Even though we come across tens of such events during our lives. We might experience the death of a relative, our grandparents or even our parents, some of us may experience the death of a to-be-born baby, who just died in the womb of their mother. Maybe our friends or their relatives. Deaths occur all over the world. In fact so many people would have left this life, just as we speak. The fear of death may be caused because of three different reasons.

1. Maybe because we are attached to the material things of this life so much that we don't want to lose any of it.

2. Or we might be attached to the people in our lives that we hate losing them.

3. Or maybe we feel that after our own deaths, we will simply end up (contrary to the 2 popular beliefs of Reincarnation and an After-Life), which we don't want.

All of these are problems on their own. For instance getting attached to material things such as fame, riches, beauty etc. which in themselves are nothing but transient. We all know that everything in this life is to end sooner or later. Then why the attachment? Or maybe we get so absorbed in them that we forget that they will end someday. We get so occupied by these things that they snatch away our mindfulness of the fact that we are to lose them someday. Have we not seen rich people becoming poor? Have we not seen people losing their children either in wars or through some disease? Have we not seen or heard about or even read about children becoming orphans? Have we not seen long term relationships destroyed? Have we not seen people dying, those who are close to us and those who live far apart? Then why do we fall into this trap of attachment? Attachment in fact can be likened to the web of spider, we being the prey and our emotions being the spider ready to devour us.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: We don't own our own bodies let alone other things.

The other reason for fearing death is nothing but fearing being alone, or going into abyss from where there is no escape (at least in some people's minds). Taking into account the notions of Reincarnation (Life after Life), and an Everlasting After-Life, there is no doubt that we as normal human beings do not know what is to happen or what is to come after death and I am not imposing the Christian belief of an after-life or the Hindu or Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation. But simply denying the fact that there were teachers far superior in their minds and their will powers who could go into the desert or a cave or a jungle and fast for several days without end, indeed without a doubt there can be no similarities between us and them and the wiring of neurons in their brains and ours, and the fact of the matter is that almost all of these teacher when they reach to a certain degree of their meditations speak of the same things over and over again, regardless of the Time-Line, the Era, the Region or anything else. There might be a yogi in the Himalayas in the year 6000 BC and a Prophet in the year 900 AD and their teachings would be similar to one another (regarding the subject of death). There might be a Teacher by the name of Jesus, who even though may differ in his views regarding an All Mighty God, but yet his teachings regarding death will be similar to that of a Hindu Swami (who worships many gods).

Hence the notion of the fear of death can be dealt with, if looked into deeply with an open and a clear mind. Even though a person may be a Christian or a Buddhist or a Hindu, he can still benefit from the teachings of people of the past and the present who have dealt with the subject and dived deep into it. There might be those individuals who could understand these teachings better than others, but the important thing is not to understand these teachings, but to utilize them and put an end to the fear of that which is without a doubt inevitable, that is DEATH!

Live without fear. Be at Peace!

[OldSchool_Metalhead]

this is a great take. I have no fear of death, and believe it or not there have been a few times I've almost stared death in the face. such as passing out after choking when I was 9, and then nearly getting hit by a car years later, etc. I tend to hold the belief that we are basically spirits that have a physical body, instead of physical bodies that have a spirit. one of my grandparents had a near-death experience once when she was young too. She died on the operating table, and she saw her own body laying there and the doctors trying to revive her. Then she was flying down this tunnel super fast and was seeing this light at the end of it, and she kept hearing someone tell her that it wasn't her time to go yet. then its like she got sucked backwards and it was like she slammed back into her body, and she was awake again. she told the doctors what she saw when she saw them doing their things and they were shocked because it was completely accurate.

[bigbang101]

Yes I believe you.

[xTom98]

I don´t really fear death, I imagine it as loosing caucion and simply not beeing able to get it back. What Im scared of however is the Chance of noone remembering me, Id like to do some good deeds that will be connected to my Name/Actions. This goes both ways ofc, so If I do something bad, I wouldn't want to be remembered by that.

[bigbang101]

Good Luck! :) (y)

[Cammy137]

Interesting MyTake. I figured I'd weigh in with my opinion here: First of all, let me just share my beliefs. I'm an anti-theist. I think there are certain spiritual teachings which can be incredibly beneficial to the well-being of any given human, but I view organised religion as being inherently evil.
I don't believe in an afterlife. The closest I come to such a belief is through our lack of understanding of consciousness. My favourite analogy that I've heard being used is that our body is just the receiver while our consciousness is a signal being beamed from a main source. However, this is just more of a thought that I find interesting rather than a concrete belief that I hold.
I don't expect anything after death. I expect my final moments to be my final moments and for nothing to follow afterwards. Yet I have no fear of death. I do fear dying. I fear the suffering, I fear the longing for more life, I fear the sadness of those around, but I don't fear death itself.

[bigbang101]

"I do fear dying. I fear the suffering, I fear the longing for more life, I fear the sadness of those around".
That is what fear of death is.
That is why i wrote this article, for people who fear the things which you mentioned.

[bigbang101]

Plus you said that "The closest I come to such a belief is through our lack of understanding of consciousness".
That is why I mentioned a few names in my article. I mentioned that their level of understanding DEATH is far more superior than that of ours. That is why we must listen to them.

[bigbang101]

And as far as your anti-theism is concerned, that is your calling. You speak from your ego. I've seen some of your questions. You dont ask them to increase yourself in understanding and knowledge, but you ask them in order to prove your point and to delude others. Ask in order to understand, not in order to spread corruption and mischief in the land.

[Cammy137]

No, you're wrong. The fear of death is NOT the same as the fear of dying. Dead and dying are different states. You can be dying and not die. Fearing the moments before death and fearing death itself are VERY different concepts.

You mentioned religious figures. How do you deem someone's understanding of death superior? They have an opinion on death and they may believe that they understand death but that doesn't mean they are "superior". You may view them as such but their view and another's are equal.

No, that has nothing to do with my ego and to say such is misguided. I welcome new experiences and points of view. Sure, a lot of my questions aren't aimed at learning but that's usually because I'm basing my questions on an idea that already exists or I'm challenging the beliefs of others. That has nothing to do with my ego. I'm not trying to delude anyone or corrupt. G@G does not reflect our true selves, friend.

[bigbang101]

Have you been through the same things these FIGURES went through? Have you ever fasted for 40 days and meditated for 6 years straight? Have you experienced that which they have experienced? If yes, then your claims are supportable. But if not, then without a doubt you have not seen that which they have seen and hence you don't know that which they know.

And as far as ego is concerned, it is from your ego, but you do not understand. A man who asks in order to understand does not make mockery out of God and Moses. He respects such things with all his mind and soul even though they do not ring a bell to him and does not let the foolishness of his mind to take over his rationality.

[Cammy137]

Why does meditation have anything to do with understanding death? You're taking spiritual practices and putting them on a pedestal. You're connecting dots that shouldn't be connected. There are incredible benefits to meditation but they don't provide you with knowledge that you don't already have.
One person having had a different experience to another doesn't make that person more insightful on an unrelated topic. I'm not denying their experience but you're putting weight into something without any real reason to. Experience gives us experience but we all have different levels of it for different things. Does the fact that I've meditated on the top of the highest mountain in my country mean that I have more insight into death than you, simply because you haven't done it? Of course not.

[Cammy137]

I fear that you're making many, many assumptions. You're throwing claims and definitions around without any real substance. A man can seek to learn and understand on one day and mock or challenge another. You'll find that it's actually your ego that is playing the biggest role here. You hate the idea that these people you look up to may not have had any insight at all. You want to seem like you're above other when you're not.

As for not understanding, I have explored the idea of the ego from an academic point of view (university, reading, learning), a spiritual one (meditation and other practices), and a psychedelic one (substances that dissolve the ego and allow you to see it for what it truly is).

Listen, you have your views of things, and that's great, but talking down to people as if you have superior knowledge of death and other matters (when you don't) is silly. I commented on this with a very fair opinion. You don't have to like it.

[bigbang101]

It seems you lack a true understanding of Meditation and Fasting, their true significance and why people used to do it. Try meditating on death for a year without interruption and you will know. I promise you...

[Cammy137]

No, you're applying meaning to it but can't support it in any way. As I already said, I don't fear death. I view all things as being balanced and death is just a part of that. Why is my view of death any different to that of these teachers you claim are so knowledgeable?

[bigbang101]

Im not saying your views match or dont match their views. We r talking about respecting them and their claims.

And as far as my ego is concerned, I would have brought my ego in when I had rejected your claims of study. I havent! I only reject your way of rejecting these people and their practices.

[Cammy137]

Well you're saying that I need to meditate for a year or share their meditation experience in order to just their views. So whether I match their views or not is somewhat relevant if you're implying that it's impossible for me to understand until I have the same level of experience.

As I said already, I accept that there are incredible benefits to the practices themselves. I don't take any issue with that. I meditate regularly, among other things. My issue is with the conclusion that meditation makes someone an expert in death. I also didn't disrespect any of the people that you mentioned.

[Cammy137]

Forgive me if I seem overly direct and critical. It's not my intention to seem like I'm just shutting down what you or the teachers you mentioned are saying or have experienced. Perhaps that is why I seem disrespectful to you.

[Salsacumbia]

Death is death. The first moment we are in the womb we start dying, we dont know when our time is or where its going to happen when it ends.

I am not afraid of dying because i know where i am going, i am going home to my paradise with god.

My own opinion and no one needs to agree with me.

[Q-tip-boy]

I am scared of dying before fulfilling my purpose.

[Q-tip-boy]

Almost died from diarrhoea in childhood. Thaks to a doctor. Now i want to become a doctor.

[Curmudgeon]

Best take here. This makes much sense.

[HaveNoName]

I only fear death because of the questions I will be asked and my ability to get away with what I did in this life. Of course I also fear death for what would happen with the dependants I would leave behind.

[Edanurus]

So if your not spiritual, be spiritual is your answer to this?

You seem to be saying it's ok because there's either an afterlife or reincarnation. I don't really understand why you would fear death actively if you did but ok.

The fear of death is natural, it's the guiding force of self preservation, without it people would just give up. The problem is you don't have enough time to be worrying about that. You only have so much so you need to enjoy as much of it as you can.

[RIVERTAY888]

we are all going to die so why worry l will be going back home to where l come from

[bigbang101]

I too am looking forward to that

[RIVERTAY888]

Fantastic but you have to wait another 60 years

[bigbang101]

Hahaha. Not really, death could happen in many different ways. Age isn't a factor...

[massb]

I’m just going to say people fear death because it’s a unknown and no on really knows what happens afterwards. If everyone knows what’s happens then people would be less scared, that would also help with losing someone close I believe.

[Unit1]

Things, that aren't in my control i don't bother with. Death pretty much being one of them. Unless i commit suicide that is.

Life is the extremely slow and long process of dying.

[jakebrap]

Don't fear death but plan on it happening tomorrow so make money get girls party hard

[Montana07]

Interesting

[Secretgardenblood]

Good take.