In today’s modern society we have a certain distaste for the subject of death. There are people in society feel uncomfortable with the subject of death. The subject of death is a reality that we need to face everyday. There is nothing any of us can do aboutdeath, and there is no virtue in dwelling on it or trying to penetrate its mystery.
Is it possible to prepare for death? In our day and age as we know it, there have been astounding advancements in medicine. The average life expectancy has risen. People are being educated in issues that surround a healthy life style. As a society, we are trying to increase our life span anddefeat death. While people are following strict diets and grueling exercise programs, the earth is creating new diseases, viruses, bacteria, and illnesses that cause death. Is the earth compensating for these new medical advancements by creating these deadly ailments to make life and death equal? We are all going to die; that’s not our problem.
Our problem is how to live until we die. Our anxiety about death keeps us from recognizing our own true and healthy love of death. When we accept the reality and mystery of death we can begin to love death in a positive way. Far from signifying any morbid desire to die, loving death simply means accepting death as a natural part of life. We must find ways to accept death. There are many religions that have different beliefs about dying.
Buddhist’s do not believe in life after death meaning heaven. Buddhist’s believe that when one dies he is reborn again and this continues until the person reaches Nirvana. Nirvana isthe supreme happiness that comes when all passion, hatred, and delusion die out and the soul is released from the necessity of further purification. In the Christian religion it is believed that there does exist life after death. The argument to supportit being that after Jesus died he rose from the dead, proving that the soul is not destroyed after death. “this proof of immortality has been accepted by millions of Christians and has been regarded as one of the most precious assurances brought to mankind by Jesus” (Ducasse 18).
All of the Christian teachingsand beliefs comes from the Bible; and in the Bible it states “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ” (John 3:16) There are some philosophies we can take to be better prepared to face death. First, by attending to the important relationships in our live so that we don’t have regrets about what we failed to say or do with those we love. Next, by attending to our valuesand priorities so that we don’t regret not having pursued our own goals and dreams. Finally, by preparing for the reality of our own eventual death by making critical decisions ahead of time and discussing them with the important people in our lives.
Whilethis kind of work is seemingly a preparation for dying, it’s actually a good prescription for living since it often produces a feeling of satisfaction and control over your life. Through out history there have been many different religions and philosophers with many different views on the after life and what it entails. What we do when we leave the physical world will never be know with absolute certainty until our time comes. Untilthen we must take into consideration all the possibilities and choose one that makes sense to us the most.
Just remember: If I were to die tomorrow, what would I wish to have done today? Or, as the Tibetan author Sogyal Rinpoche says, “If you’re havingproblems with a friend, pretend he’s dying – you may even love him.” Especially good advice if that friend happens to beBibliography:
