Fear Of Death
Observation
Sajo John
The fear of death is a universal phenomenon. No matter where you go in
the world, you will always find a substantial amount of people who are
afraid of dying. In fact, I expect many of our young readers to skip
this article, as soon as they see the title, simply due to the fear of
the word "death", installed in their young minds at an even younger age.
I myself have faced this fear in my younger years, but as the
phenomenon of thinking developed in me, I was ultimately able to overcome the
fear of death. I mainly write this article, to induce a resistance in
these minds against this fear, as I feel that our generation has greatly
been influenced and exploited by the mass media, which has played the
lead role in inducing most of our fears (whatever they may be) in us.
The ultimate reason for fearing death is obvious: Death is the greatest
mystery of all. But moreover there are three factors why most people
fear death:
1. The fear of facing the unknown:
Fear of the unknown is extremely powerful. The thought of facing it, is
even more depressant. Death is considered the biggest "unknown". Due to
this very factor, many people, especially in our present generation,
find death terrifying. "What will be waiting for us when we reach the
other side of the veil of death?" None of us, through experience, know
about afterlife, simply because we haven't gone through death yet. Each
religion has its own definition of afterlife. But I believe that our
ignorance in this subject has left us blank about the same. Only at those
moments when the thoughts of death invade our minds, do we actually even
bother to look into it. After the World Trade Center attack, for
example, there were a large number of people searching the Internet for
websites dealing with the subject of death. I recommend that, everyone who
reads this article with a fear of death in their minds, to look into the
concept of afterlife (on the basis of one's own religion or beliefs) as
it would surely help in getting rid of the main reason why most, fear
death.
2. The fear of facing it alone:
All through our years of growing up, we surely must have experienced a
fear to walk through some particular street or path, alone in the dark.
The same follows here. Many of us, still wouldn't mind walking through
an unknown path if someone is with us. But when it comes to walking
alone, the situation is different. You are doubtful about every step you
take because there is no one to support you and encourage you to move
on. This very feeling that you will be alone is another reason why many
people find death so terrifying. Even if you are surrounded by hundreds
of people when you die, you must still pass through death by yourself.
This prospect is very unnerving for many people. Here again I resort to
our own beliefs. We should understand that the One who kept us in His
loving care throughout our life will never leave us alone at any stage.
He will always be with us, whatever we may be destined to go through. So
the fear of facing of death alone is taken care of.
3. The fear of facing judgment:
Although passing into a vast unknown, by yourself, can be frightful,
the thought of being judged can be downright terrifying. Every religion,
I believe, teaches that "As you sow, so shall you reap." The One, who
created us, has installed in all of us a conscience with knowledge of
right and wrong. People inherently know they will have to stand before
Him someday and give an account for their actions. This can be a
terrifying prospect for some people. But the remedy to this is in our own
hands. Only a thief would be scared of being accused of stealing, a normal
person possibly does not have any reason to be scared of being accused for
something he did not do. There was this sinner who came and asked a
priest the way to heaven. To this the priest answered "Turn right and walk
straight". This is apparently the only remedy to this fear and
therefore I repeat "Turn right and walk straight" and then you will have to
fear no more.
I remember reading somewhere that "Death, like taxes, is unavoidable.
There is no way to escape its grip. It doesn't matter if you are rich,
powerful, or influential; you will still die. Death is no respecter of
persons." Neither being obsessed with death nor ignoring it is
appropriate. A balanced approach is needed. A person needs to appropriately deal
with the issues of death and then move on with life, simply because,
there is much more to life.
Fear Of Death© COPYRIGHT 2004 Sajo John.
Reproduction prohibited without permission from the author.
09/10/04
