Our Fear of Death

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“No one knows whether death is really the greatest blessing a man can have, but they fear it is the greatest curse, as if they knew well.” –Plato. This quote stresses that death is a natural part of life that everyone will have to deal with, and for most, it is a very uneasy subject which most try to avoid. But why do we all try to avoid the subject of death? I do not believe we are scared of death itself, we fear what will happen after death. Death has been the one the top debated matters for thousands of years in view of the fact that individuals have different views depending on religion or just personal belief. Whether there is life after death is solely religious for most people. The views of Christianity, Buddhism, and Atheism, for example, all differ on life after death. Death has been studied for thousands of years but we have still yet to come to a definite conclusion. Christian’s teachings come solely from the Holy Bible and their view on Heaven and Hell. Death is recognized as your earthly body dying, but your soul living on and possibly going to Heaven. They believe that if you have lived a life according to God and truly repented for your sins, you will gain entrance to Heaven. By the judgment of God, your soul will either enter Heaven or Hell. Many scientists have tried to explain these paranormal places and it can be looked at from two perspectives. Traditionally, Heaven and Hell have been viewed as concrete places, while it has usually been described as Heaven; being close to God, and Hell; being very far from God. When asked to describe Heaven people will often say that it is a place with angels, harps, and white horses. On the other hand, when asked to describe Hell most would say it is a red fiery place with d... ... middle of paper ... ... combine with the air consequently recycling into a new organism Death is the one aspect of life that every human will have to face. Most people fear death and view it as a bad thing, but it is only natural. Some may view death as a blessing, curse, or a new beginning. Some religions believe in a harmonious or terrible place after death; Heaven and Hell. Others teach the cycle of reincarnation where souls are continuously reborn until achieving the perfect nirvana. Although all religions differ on their views after death, the main goal is the same; live a good life. Whether living a good life will get you into heaven or one of the six realms, it is the goal of the individual to live a life that will get them to a virtuous place after death. I believe that people fear death not because of pain or suffering, but because we are unaware of what will happen afterwards.

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