Death is not something human beings have a fundamental understanding over; there is no person who is born with an innate comprehension of what happens when we cease to exist. We live our lives, day-after-day, not knowing what is to come when the only thing we have ever known comes to an end. So we fear death, cowering in its shadow. Ironic isn’t it? After all, death is one of the only certain things in life, yet we despair it. When I was a young boy, even I knew of death’s overwhelming presence in the lives of humans. Yet, I had never experienced death first hand, so I suppose even I feared it just as everyone else did. I believe that humans are fundamentally conditioned to be afraid of dying; likely because we usually fear that which we do …show more content…
I remember my mother crying. I remember my grandfather, a man who I have never seen shed a single tear, crying. I remember my whole family, at some point or another, cry over the death of Shanthi Perera. (Appeal to Emotion) I was devastated by her death, but I also learned a great deal from it. (Antithesis)
When my grandmother died, what really happened? Did feel the weight of death? Did she cling on for dear life? In death is there disease? In death is their sadness? In death is there regret? (Parallelism and Rhetorical Questions) The thing that was truly clear to me was that she was no longer suffering. Although I realized this from a secular perspective, it truly helped that my grandmother turned to God in the last moments of her life. It is certainly comforting to know I will meet her again in the life eternal, or so I believe. From this stance, death is simply a break from life.
Regardless of all of this, I always thought a woman like my grandmother would live forever; if anyone deserved immortality it was her. Yet, life is not so just. She, like all of us have, and will eventually, met her end. As morbid as I found that to be, it also helped me realize that death is nothing to fear. When the hand of Death comes knocking at our doors, we really shouldn’t be surprised. She visits all of us at some point. I came to the conclusion is is silly and illogical to fear something that we cannot
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For the sole reason we will all meet Death in our lifetimes, it's all the more reason to live life to the fullest. My grandmother understood this better than anyone. She lived her whole life as if tomorrow would be her last day. Henceforth, she lived a life worth living. She saw the world in all its beauty, she loved unapologetically, and truly touched the lives of countless people. So is her dying a tragedy, or is it simply the completion of what she was meant to do? She came full circle - she was born, she truly lived, and she died. It is difficult to find sadness in a successful life, is it not? Would life be anything of worth if we never died? Is it not death itself that compliments life? (Parallelism and Rhetorical Questions) There are no concrete answers to such questions, but the lessons my grandmother taught me by her life will surely help me through my own life. For that, I will be forever grateful to
Mortality, the subject of death, has been a curious topic to scholars, writers, and the common man. Each with their own opinion and beliefs. My personal belief is that one should accept mortality for what it is and not go against it.
Fear of death comes from the unknown, unless we have a near-death experience, as that could possibly calm us and clear away the fear of death. If we have an experience of dying here, then we will be willing to die over and over again, because there is nothing to fear–as each breath ceases, then a new breath is coming in. It is a cycle of birth, old age, illness and death. When one’s dead, a new life comes about almost instantaneously. But, while we are still alive, we fear death as it is a mystery: nevertheless we do not like talking about it in a way parallel to discussions about ill-health. We avoid talking about it and view it as abhorrent or bad luck. It is a natural process that no one can deny or avoid, yet we all exist in the same way, whence we come and depart.
Fear of the unknown, and fear of what is to come in our lives, has generations of people wondering what will our lives be like tomorrow or the next day. Death is always there and we cannot escape it. Death is a scary thing. Our own mortality or the mortality of our loved ones scares us to the point that we sometimes cannot control how we are dealing with such a thing as the thought of death. Why do we fear such a thing as death? We don’t know what happens after we don’t how it feels. The fear of death is different for most but it is most certain to come and we cannot hide from it. For death is just around the corner and maybe it’s will come tomorrow or the next day! We fear not death, but the unknown that comes from death, that is the
Much of the pain of death for the living comes from a sense of loss. It marks an end to all the possibilities both for us and for the departed that might have been realized by a longer life. Overall even though death is a sad thing it is part of the reason I am the person I am today. It has made me realize that I need to develop stronger relationships now so I don’t have any regrets if they had suddenly passed on. I have found out that I can’t make amends for anything after a person is gone.
Death is part of the circle of life and it's the end of your time on earth; the end of your time with your family and loved ones. Nobody wants to die, leaving their family and missing the good times your loved ones will have once you pass on. In the Mercury Reader, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross “On the Fear of Death” and Joan Didion “Afterlife” from The Year of Magical Thinking” both share common theses on death and grieving. Didion and Kübler-Ross both explain grieving and dealing with death. Steve Jobs commencement speech for Stanford’s graduation ceremony and through personal experience jumps further into death and how I feel about it. Your time is on earth is limited one day you will die and there are many ways of grieving at the death of a loved one. I believe that the fear of death and the death of a loved one will hold you back from living your own life and the fear of your own death is selfish.
...e for many in the modern Western world. Without getting in to the various medical definitions of death that exist, death can simply be defined as the absence of life. This is where the true fear stems from for most people, the idea that their existence will be known to this world. The uncertainty about what happens after death also plays a large role for many people as there is obviously no way to prove what happens after someone passes. It is clear that those who have this fear of death will have a hard time overcoming it, same as Jack. The point is not to get hung up on how to best push the fear out of your mind, but to instead find an alternative. That alternative is not clearly defined just as nothing is clearly defined in the novel, however it does give one the opportunity to see what happens when you let death control your thoughts instead of focusing on life.
In conclusion, death is a tragic event that applies everywhere, whether it's in the stories or reality, but for some people it could also be a relief which all depends on how one perceives it. Each author has their own forms of writing and ways of expressing their ideas, but it all led to the same ending. Death seems like a natural process because it happens every day, even if you don't actually witness it. Nobody is immortal, so eventually you'll end up dying sooner or later. The only difference is the way you die, but what difference does that make? When that day arrives, you will only be a body without any feeling or emotion just lying there. Who knows if death is really the end of life?
In "Tuesdays With Morrie" Morrie says "Everyone knows they're going to die,but nobody believes it" Life's about what you do in this world before you leave it. I'm no genius but i look at death simple, people treat death like it's a ripple in a pond, but it's not because death goes on and on until we're all gone. We try to redefine what it is to live, we stimulate our minds with that and this, we tax the rich and have some kids.
Death is the one great certainty in life. Some of us will die in ways out of our control, and most of us will be unaware of the moment of death itself. Still, death and dying well can be approached in a healthy way. Understanding that people differ in how they think about death and dying, and respecting those differences, can promote a peaceful death and a healthy manner of dying.
What is death? What makes death such an avoided subject? According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, death is defined as: the permanent cessation of vital functions; the end of life. So maybe we fear death and death’s process because the thought of life ending is unbearable or because we know little about the dying process and naturally, as humans, we fear the unknown. These all may be true and in most cases probably are. But if one was to take a look at death and the process and consider the true meaning of that very moment in one’s life, maybe we would view it differently and maybe, just maybe, see life itself in a whole new way?! Marie de Hennezel, in her book Intimate Death defines death as . . . “our life’s culmination, it’s crowning moment and what gives it both sense and worth” (xi). She sheds light on the positive side of death, the part no one thinks about or acknowledges. And she shows us that death can in fact make us see how amazing life can be. In his book, The Body Silent, Robert Murphy shares with us the changes in life and actions of society when faced with the process of death.
One thing that we often hear is that “death is just a part of life.” So often in our day and age do we hear people utter these words. However, death is far more significant and impactful than some would allege. True death is not merely a time when we cease to exist; it is an entombment, a mindset in which we are dead to this world. Throughout our lives, it is true that we can all be dead in one way or another, but it does not have to be that way. When we have our eyes opened to what death actually is, it is far easier to grasp what the true meaning of life is, and to embrace it. Often, we will come across individuals who are enveloped in death and others who are immersed in true life. The shadow of death and entombment lies upon some, encompassing
Death is like a heartbeat, it continues to beat without you thinking about it. It is the same with the way you breathe, constantly happening unaware of itself. Death is a realization of all things that kept you there. There is no question of death but rather a question of life. We see this as a symbolic representation of human intervention and that dying is a terrible and corrupt thing. Acceptance of death is the true symbolic nature of being able to look death right in the eyes and say I am ready. This is the opportunity presented by death, this beautiful event where death and life come together. The true reason we die is to understand what life is truly about. If we were granted immortality we would realize that is not the way in which we want to live. What is the point in which we have children? We have children so that we can live on in another way by passing
Death will always be universal and is continuously seen or heard of everyday. The fear and death its self affects everyone, but it’s important to feel accustomed and comfortable about it. Sure it will be sorrow or and painful when the day comes for you or a loved one, but that’s the world. We must feel comfortable and learn to accept this topic. Finding motivation or something to distract you from this is a good way to motivate your life and build up a positive lifestyle. Death will always induce fear, but it’s just another chapter in life. Even though death has been studied for many years, it will forever be one of the most debated topics, including the fear of
In my life time, I have experienced many deaths. I have never had anyone that was very close to me die, but I have shed tears over many deaths that I knew traumatically impacted the people that I love. The first death that influenced me was the death of my grandfather. My grandfather passed away when I was very young, so I never really got the chance to know him. My papaw Tom was my mothers dad, and she was very upset after his passing. Seeing my mom get upset caused me to be sad. The second death that influenced my life was the death of my great grandmother. My great grandmother was a very healthy women her whole life. When she was ninety three she had
Death is one of the hardest things to over come; while others have developed paganism for death it’s ultimately the scariest thing to face in life. Losing a best friend, a family member, or the love of your life. Therefore the death of someone special is definitely the hardest thing to face. Many people believe when someone dies, they’re sleeping, and they wake up when Jesus comes again and brings you to heaven with him, this is called Christianity, however, Buddhism believe when the body dies it disappears, but the mind goes on, which means you have no after life to experience. I personally believe after you die, you will go to a very special place, with past family members who have passed away. I also believe if you don’t think there is a God you will go to