How Should We Think of Death and Dying - Essay Example

? Topic:  Death; how should we think of death and dying? Introduction Death is the most mysterious issue which has confused men since time recorded. It is a truth which every one of us has to face. Death is an inevitable phenomena .Death is not an enemy to be conquered or a prison to be escaped. It is an integral part of our lives that gives meaning to human existence. According to one of the philosopher Jasper “death is something is unimaginable, really something unthinkable”. In order to understand death from a wider concept we can analyze the philosophy of Jasper on this issue. He is especially interested in the dark side of life: guilt, death struggling and suffering. So I will argue in favor of Jasper and believe that death should be faced with courage by human as his inner nature is eternal. Death sets a limit on our time in this life, urging us on to do something productive with that time as long as it is ours to use. If one begins to see death as an invisible, but friendly companion on one’s life journey – gently reminding not to wait until tomorrow to do what one mean to do - then one can learn to live life than passing through it. To rejoice at the opportunity of experiencing each new day is to prepare for one’s ultimate acceptance of death. We must allow death to provide a context of our lives, for in it lays the meaning of life and key to our growth. Jasper mentions death should be faced with courage Death is an integral part of life and is a process which cannot be avoided by any creature on earth. If one is born then he is destined to die. This is an endless cycle a never ending process. Jasper is right in saying that death should be faced with utmost courage. Death is a hard truth of our life and one who sees death as a suffering or evil indeed is a coward. It is a transitional phase of man and this should be understood by human beings, in order to face it with courage. Everything ordained by our creator should be accepted by us with wholeheartedness. Just like life, death is a reality and should be faced with full acceptance. Generally, it is the misconception and ignorance of people that lead them to think of death as a suffering or evil. It should be understood by human that they are not just a physical being but an entity with transcendence quality. The journey of a human being is not short lived but an endless cycle of birth and death. Jasper does not believe in surrendering to death but embracing it with joy. It should be regarded as an entrance to new phase of life as life is an unending journey. Japer believed that human beings have an inner nature which is eternal. Since his soul is eternal, he should not be feared of death as nothing can kill him. Every man is feared of death Although Jasper is right in suggesting death should be faced with courage, every man on the face of earth fear death. It is a fact that, human being by the very name of death fears and it can be termed as instinctive .It could be his urge to survive and protect himself which has led to the generation of a fearful feeling of death. Many a time’s practical life is different from theoretical and philosophical life. It might seem easy to articulate theories about death, but in reality when once face death then he is feared utmost. In so far, death means not only a termination, an end but a consummation as well. Death is absolutely universal in human life. Everyone accepts it as natural and obvious that he must die. At the same time, a secret protest and an undistinguishable horror before this end abides him. In every means, metaphysical anthropology cannot explain this fact. If a man is an immortal being, then why he should be afraid of death. May be it could be the feeling of pain and abandoning his body is the reason for the fear. One could say that death is punishment given to man by God to which make man understand that this material life in not eternal.A man who does not have a spiritual understanding can consider death as evil and unwelcoming. And a fear of death is also a warning to man about the fearsome attribute of God. Jasper reveals life to be inexhaustible and hence death is not an end The human life is inexhaustible, death only takes away the physical body but the journey of human continues forever until it merges with God. People instead of thinking it as an end, should consider death as an entry to new life. Only death can give us new life. According to Indian religious book Gita “Like clothe is changed by a person a soul changes body during death and enters another body in re- birth”. It is recommended that deaths should be welcomed through meditation and should be undergone with peace and serenity. In western concepts, death does not exist as it is just a transitional phase. According to (Mumford 1999,34)“Self examination is essential to form a core of personal understanding and equanimity that can survive personal tragedy and death itself” Only a person who has attained a certain level of knowledge can understand that human beings are immortal and death is a way to get on to his next life. It can be wise to say that, one must prepare oneself for death .According to Hindu tradition; it is believed that God and soul existed simultaneously and can never be destroyed. If a person knows the reality about soul, then he would be less concerned about death. Life inside human being is energy and this energy is inexhaustible. There is never an end to human life and death is only one stage in the journey of soul. But death makes us believe that we will cease to exist Even though life after death is doctrine by many religious philosophies of different cultures, the experience of death make us believe that we are ceasing to exist on earth. Nobody ever has the experience of life after death and hence it is not easy to believe beliefs and philosophies about death by different cultures. But all of us know that death is an end in one way as far as our physical existence in concerned. We experience that we are vanishing from the planet and we will never be able to get back to this place ever. This feeling is very frightening as we are accustomed to live on earth and suddenly abandoning it is heart breaking experience. For example, humanist does not believe in life after death and perceiving death from their point of view, death is an ultimate end .As per ( Philosophy Home)“Death should not concern the Humanist, since death only is an end to a complete life. Humanists do not believe in life after death or eternal life”. When a person thinks that he no more will be alive then fear surrounds him. This feeling make his death unacceptable and continuously be fearsome about death. He will grow a hatredness or enmity towards death. One feel that death is stealing from them the opportunity to live and hence it becomes an evil concept. Philosophy is different practical life is different and in reality death is a fearsome event for many. Inner being of human is transcendal, hence death is a myth According to many philosophers and religious thinkers death is an illusion or myth. In real the fear of death is due to the ignorance of people. The death is due to the misunderstanding people have about it. The true being of human never dies. In real, the death is only the destruction of the physical body .The essence of human being is of eternal nature. The inner being of human is of transcended nature and its supreme. The essence of a man is pure in his real form. It is an awareness which is immutable and indestructible. Man is a spiritual being and he has a spark of divine power in him. This spark is the soul which is the true self which is untouchable by death. In his website (Frawley) mentions that ,“You have always existed and you will always exist. Your body, mind or the world in which you take birth may change, but your inner essence will endure forever”. The fact of deathlessness is the message all human needs to absorb in order to face the death with courage and acceptance. According to Hindu scriptures we have always existed and will continue to exist forever. When common men understand this reality, he will be no more afraid of death. Nobody needs to waste his life in thinking about death as it is an illusion. In fact, we are not the mind or body as we think, but the everlasting soul. Death is unavoidable and hence causes extreme fear Everyone knows that death is an unavoidable process and this makes it a very frightening thought. When people know that they cannot escape death at any cost they get frightened and get anxious about it. People feel like they are trapped and have no way to escape it. We feel that we are misfortunate to not live forever and losing one’s life develop fear in one’s mind. We do not know whom to approach to extend out life span and feel confused and horrified about counting our end days. Man feels like he is in prison and has no way to get out of it. In this way his life becomes miserable thinking about his end days. There are people who have phobia about death and are hysterical. These people do not enjoy life but spend their life thinking negatively about death. (Fischer 1993, 21)“My concern lies in assessing the rationality of fearing the death in sense in which death in unavoidable”. Man is usually feared of things which he cannot conquer. He feels helpless in front of death and has no means to defend it. One’s own death and suffering is fearful to man as it is a natural process. Death limits a man and he also loose connection with his family members and loved once. Thinking of separation from world and loving ones itself scares the man to the ultimate. He loves being on earth as it is his home and when everything is stolen from him and he feels helpless, surrendered and sorrowful. Conclusion Even though it is natural for man to fear death, spiritual knowledge can elevate him from this position. The man who fears death is less nearer to truth than the person who does not fear death. The fear of death is like the fear of darkness that is the fear of unknown. If people are educated about soul and how it transgresses from one body to another by the process of death, then they will be less concerned about death. It is uncertainty surrounding death that most people are worried of. Death is a reality and facing death with courage and full heartedness is the sign of a wise man. People have much wrong conception about death and this is what leads them to nurture wrong ideas about death. Jasper has explained about the inner being of human which is transcended in nature. According to him life is inexhaustible as it is pure existence. Death is an ending if we see from a physical existence perspective. But if it is viewed from the angle of spirituality, life is never ending. We come and go on earth in different forms. The ultimate aim of a soul is to get enlightened and merge with super soul which is God. Only true knowledge can enable man to escape from the misconception of death. As per ( Huemer) “The process of dying in itself is nothing but birth into the Ethereal World, similar to the process of birth into the Gross Material World”. Bibliography Frawley, David M. "On Deathlessness ." American Institute of Vedic Studies. Accessed November 23, 2011.http://www.vedanet.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=141. Fischer, John M. The Metaphysics of death. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1993. Huemer, Werner. "Death is progression of life into another realm of existence." Life Positive Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2011 http://www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/Death/ Why_dea th_is_not_the_end.asp. Mumford, John. 1. Death : beginning or end ? methods of immortality. St.Paul: Llewellyn Worldwide, 1999. Philosophy Home. "What is a Humanist? ." All about philosophy Org. Accessed November 23, 2011. http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/what-is-a-humanist-faq.htm. Read More