O death, thou hast been an immortal specter for the living!
That death is unfathomable or defies comprehensibility is articulated no less by Socrates of ancient Greece: “To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not, to think one knows what one does not know. No one knows whether death may be not the greatest of all blessings for a man, yet men fear it as if they knew that it is the greatest of evils.”
Yes, perhaps the fundamental reason for our fear of death is our ignorance or being unknowledgeable about it. Simply, we know nothing about death except of the inevitable fact that we will all face it – for some or others, sooner than later. We, humans, may be the only species fully aware of the inevitability of death. American psychologist William James called this “fateful knowledge” the “worm at the core” of human existence.
The term “death” is derived from the Greek word “Thanatos”. It is interesting to note that the Greek word “Thanatos” can mean both as physical as well as spiritual death.
In Stoicism (I’ve touched on this philosophy in my earlier column), death is generally viewed as an indifference. For the Stoics, death is but part of life or of human nature, for which we possess no control. By seeking indifference to that which we cannot control can help us alleviate anxiety of it. The cause of our misery, Stoics say, is not death, but the fear of it. Fear of death, thus, is but an “irrationality”. That’s why, Stoics are better off not only in contemplating death, but even fantasizing about it.
No wonder then, it is worth recounting about the story of the Stoic philosopher Julius Canus. When Emperor Caligula ordered his death after Canus angered him, he simply proclaimed: “Most excellent prince”, and then, “I tender you my thanks.” When a centurion came to take him ten days later, he was found playing a board game.
O, such a stoical indifference! Methinks, the meaningfulness of death cannot be founded merely on indifference (or cynicism) but on the value or meaning-giving orientation that people have about death.
We fear death in distinct ways just as we all deal differently with the omnipresent foreboding of mortality. Clinical psychologist Cara Santa Maria says it aptly: “Some people are afraid of oblivion. Some people are afraid of dying – the pain, the disability. Some people are afraid of leaving people behind. They’re afraid of leaving things unfinished. They’re afraid of not having a legacy. There are so many ways that we can be afraid of death.”
Angela Morrow, in her online article, “6 Reasons Why Death Is Scary” (verywellmind.com), breaks down the fear of death into the following specific types:
1. Fear of pain and suffering. Many people fear that when they meet death, they will experience excruciating pain and suffering.
2. Fear of the unknown. Death remains the ultimate unknown because no one in human history has survived it to tell us what really happens after we take our last breath.
3. Fear of non-existence. Many people fear the idea that they will completely cease to exist after death occurs. Even people of faith also worry that their belief in an afterlife isn’t real after all.
4. Fear of eternal punishment. Many people, regardless of their religious persuasion or lack of spiritual beliefs, fear that they will be punished for what they did, or did not do, while here on earth.
5. Fear of loss of control. Death remains something over which we have absolutely no control.
6. Fear of what will become of our loved ones. A common death fear focuses on the worry of what will happen to those entrusted to our care if we die.
In general, hence, the fear of death can actually prove healthy for human beings: 1) we can act more carefully and take appropriate precautions; 2) it can remind us to make the most of our time here on earth and not to take our relationships for granted; 3) it can push us to work harder in order to leave a lasting legacy.
Finally, in trying to unravel the meaningfulness of death, it is worth mentioning the perspective from Christian theology.
From biblical account, our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God. As a result, they were ousted from the Garden of Eden. If they had not sinned, they would have remained in the Garden, where they (and us too) could have been able to avoid death.
For us Christians, hence, death – not only viewed physically but spiritually as well – is but a consequence of sin. The apostle Paul said is succinctly: “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
But, we’re not only sinners by nature (which emanated from the Fall), we’re also sinners by choice. In a sense, we brought death upon ourselves.
From some theological perspective, hence, death serves as a reminder for us that our actions have real consequences, that our choices have real ramifications. It helps us to remember that we cannot live our lives without impacting others around us. The moments we we are thinking about death help us to see how painful our choices can be when we neglect or ignore God.
While death is such a painful moment, it is at the same time a glorious moment. For us, believers, death is the moment to experience the fullness of what God promised us. “For me, to live is Christ, and even death is profitable for me.” (Philippians 1:21).
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