Death Essay

Death Essay

Each day we are reminded about death: a commercial on the television about starving children in Africa or a suicide bombing in the Middle East, headline in the newspaper about a murder, suicide, shooting. Word of a untimely death of children or friends and family, it seems that death is everywhere. Death is my greatest fear and it is the greatest fear of most people, a famous Greek writer named Euripides wrote “Death is the debt everyone must pay” and honestly I don’t think people want to accept that, or are too scared to admit that. When I think of death, there are images of an obituary in a newspaper memorializing someones life; a casket containing the deceased person; people dressed in black; rituals of a funeral, and burial; tears of sorrow; grief; memories of those who passed on; a grey tombstone inscribed with the words “Rest in Peace.” I also look back to good times, struggles of sickness, last visits, final words spoken. Mark Twain wrote “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” The thought of dying can be a terrifying experience for most people, especially for people who aren’t religious. The fear of non existence after death can easily create anxiety and panic. When death comes for me, I hope to die in my sleep or without warning. One of the worst experiences, I believe, is to be told by a doctor that you are terminally ill, and having to live each day knowing that your life is nearing an end. The idea of death would create all sorts of questions: Do I want to be buried or cremated? Who is the executor of the will? What happens after death? Is there an afterlife? Will the person ever see their loved ones again? One question can be answered: We are all going to die.

There is no agreement on what happens after we die. Atheists argue that after death there is nonexistence. Nothingness. Elimination of the mind, body, “self”, spirit and soul. We are born, mature, grow old, and die. And once we die, we cease to exist. There is no soul or spirit that lives on for eternity. Agnostics have a different view. Most are spiritual seekers who are unable to answer definitively what happens after death. The typical agnostic has thrown away his/her faith in religion and relies on wishful thinking , logic, reasoning to answer the question: Is there an afterlife? Some believe the soul lives on; others believe that death results in annihilation or nonexistence. Most have no definite answer. Buddhists believe in rebirth. Death is not the end of life. It is only the end of the body that we inhabit in this life. The spirit will live on and seek attachment to a new body and new life. The body we inhabit depends on a person's positive and negative past actions { Karma }. Christians believe in eternal life. Once we die, the soul lives on for eternity, while the mortal body decays, becomes a skeleton or dust. Since the time of Augustine, Christians have been taught that between death and resurrection the souls of the dead either enjoy Paradise or suffer in Hell. In other words, for those who have lived a good life, followed the ten commandments, believe that Jesus was the Son of God, they’re soul will live on in heaven. But for those who have sinned, not sought salvation, lived a wicked life, their souls will live on in hell.
What do we know about death? Upon death, the spirit leaves the body. The body decays and becomes dust. What happens to the mind? Can we still think after death? Since the brain decays, it can be argued that we will have no sense of consciousness after death. We have no sensory perception—no sense of sight, smell, taste, touch, or hearing. What about yourself? Does it live on? The philosopher Descartes once said, “I think, therefore I am.” And so, if the brain dies, decays into dust, and we cannot think after death, it can be argued that that the sense of “self” ceases to exist after death. In reality, none of us really knows what will happen after death, until we experience it. But, we may never experience death, only dying. Death could mean that we are no longer able to recognize the world with our senses, think with our minds, experience consciousness that empowers us to have a sense of a “self.” In other words, one moment you’re alive, thinking, feeling, experiencing; the next moment there is extinction of the body, mind, soul, and “self”—resulting in nonexistence or nothingness. According to Isaac Asimov, the great science fiction writer, “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.”