Why so afraid of Death?!

We live in a mortal body, we love, we hate, we dream, we struggle, and then we plainly die. But we are all afraid of death, for some reason, we hold on so tightly to this imperfect world; a world that involves an extreme beauty and good, as well as a harsh cruelty and evil. We get lost at the contemplation of breathtaking natural views and overwhelming kindness of awesome people, but we get also frightened by the merciless catastrophes and the brutality of vicious humans. Between those two extremities, we enjoy life and despise death.

But why are we so horrified by our mortality? Why graveyards are a terrifying place? Why the sight of a coffin gives us Goosebumps? And why a dying being makes our heart ache of agony?

Are we scared of the potential pain during the process of fading? Is it the feeling of falling into a suffocating and consuming darkness that appall our spirit? Or is the anxiety of bitter remorse for not doing the right thing? Or maybe, being frail and helpless, we are simply aghast at the unknown!

Supposing we are an immortal soul occupying a perishable form, as it’s believed by religious people and some philosophers , expiring will mean therefore the liberation from the worldly prison to the vast staggering origins; a one way journey to discover the ultimate truth, and find the longing answers. The soul is also regarded to be a fragment of the divine entity; a sparkle of the great light. In other words, once we pass away, we spontaneously recall all the lost information from our previous existence, knowledge that has been forgotten or diluted with the mundane data. We got to see clearly and thoroughly the inception of the universe and its doom, the purpose of the gone life and the direction of the next one, and then the judgment of our former beliefs.

So why are we so afraid of death?

If we view death as a transition to another acute and everlasting phase, an imminent leap into reincarnation, and a new adventure to uncover the mysteries of an immaterial and perfect reality, wouldn’t it be an exhilarating event rather than a dreadful one? Wouldn’t gathering with the mighty creator be thrilling and miraculous? Wouldn't it be like going back Home?

Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little bit; the whole experience would still seem outrageous and kind of intimidating.

However, embracing the fact that one day we will extinguish and be transferred to another dimension, incites us unconsciously to relish the worldly life even more. Seemingly, keeping death in mind paradoxically triggers the appreciation of breathing today. Similarly on the other hand, being fully conscious of our current existence compels us to acknowledge its fleeting effect. We’ll therefore be swinging back and forth between an appealing life and a looming death.

After all, only the dead would know, and up till now, there is no witness to prove either the comfort of death or its gloom.

Speaking of that subject appeared at first to be cheering and promising, but repeating the D-word over and over transformed gradually the article to a dismal and somber one.

Let’s try this again;

The state of an absolute acceptance of the one’s fatality is indeed difficult to reach; it’s decisively not that obvious. Nevertheless, it’s utterly natural; how can we expect from an inherently perseverant survivor to deliberately welcome his end?

Unless the soul gets separated from the mortal body while it’s still alive and completely healthy, and that by a constant and lengthy meditation, so when the human actually passes away, it would be an easy and already a mastered process for his spirit to quit the world. The example of Quang Duc’s self-immolation is the ultimate proof of this; during a protest against the oppression of Buddhist, this monk resolved to set himself on fire, and as he burned he remained perfectly still! Besides the striking power of his will and determination, I believe that this monk dissociated his soul from his body way before his last breath.

We get separated from our mortal form more often that we think, though unconsciously, like in our sleep. Devoted meditation and prayers are a means to temporarily reach out to the creator, and connect the soul to the providing source. Death in that sense would be the eternal transition to the non-material dimension or maybe a profound slumber before the truthful revelation. Or what is it exactly then…?