Fear not death, by Gary Hayden
I had this article tucked away in my bag for months. I think it is really worth sharing so I typed it. Your thoughts?
Four fears
According to the American philosopher Tom Morris. there are at least four kinds of death. First there is fear of the process of dying. Here death itself is not the problem, but rather those last hours and minutes as life ebbs away. We worry that dying might be a painful or frightening experience and dread it.
Secondly, there is fear of punishment. Some people believe that in the afterlife, they will be punished for their sins. Certain religions threaten dreadful consequences for quite commonplace faults and failings. This can cause great anxiety, even to those whose lives are far from wicked.
Thirdly, there is fear of the unknown, What happens when we die? Is death like sleep? Or is it mere nothingness? Is it terrifying? Or is it the beginning of a new and better existence? We simply do not know. And what we do not know, we fear.
Fourthly, there is fear of annihilation. Some people believe - or worry - that death ends everything. Once death comes, the glorious gift of experience is gone forever. No more life; no more laughter; no more love; no more sunshine. This, I think, is the most fundamental fear of all.
Three consolations
But enough of doom and gloom. Let's take a look at the flip-side of the coin and consider more reasons for believing that death may not be such a bad thing after all.
The Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399 BC) believed that it is irrational to worry about death. After all, we know little, if anything, about it. For all we know, it may turn out to be the greatest of all blessings. So there is absolutely no point getting worked up, or jumping to unpleasant conclusions.
Socrates himself was tried and sentenced to death by the Athenian courts, accused of corrupting the youth and disbelieving in their ancestral gods. According to his pupil, Plato, he faced death with remarkable composure: "The hour of departure has arrived and we go our ways - I to die and you to live. Which the better, God only knows."
The Roman politician and philosopher Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) also considered it irrational to fear death. He supported this view with what I think is a very beautiful argument: no one frets about their past non-existence (before they were born), so why should they fret about their future non-existence after they are dead?
"Would you not think him an utter fool who wept because he was not alive a thousand years ago? And is he not just as much of a fool who weeps because he will not be alive a thousand years from now? It is all the same; you will not be, and were not."
Seneca was sentenced to death by the infamously wicked Roman Emperor Nero. In fact, he was ordered to commit suicide. And, like Socrates before him, he met his fate with extraordinary courage and fortitude.
The philosopher Epicurus (342-270 BC) considered the fear of death to be one of life's major sources of anguish. He devised a very famous argument to convince us that our fears are misplaced. "Death, the most dreadful of all evils, is therefore of no concern to us; for while we exist, death is not present, and when death is present, we no longer exist."
Personally, I find these philosophical sources of consolation very comforting. However, I am aware they are not to everyone's taste.
Four fears
According to the American philosopher Tom Morris. there are at least four kinds of death. First there is fear of the process of dying. Here death itself is not the problem, but rather those last hours and minutes as life ebbs away. We worry that dying might be a painful or frightening experience and dread it.
Secondly, there is fear of punishment. Some people believe that in the afterlife, they will be punished for their sins. Certain religions threaten dreadful consequences for quite commonplace faults and failings. This can cause great anxiety, even to those whose lives are far from wicked.
Thirdly, there is fear of the unknown, What happens when we die? Is death like sleep? Or is it mere nothingness? Is it terrifying? Or is it the beginning of a new and better existence? We simply do not know. And what we do not know, we fear.
Fourthly, there is fear of annihilation. Some people believe - or worry - that death ends everything. Once death comes, the glorious gift of experience is gone forever. No more life; no more laughter; no more love; no more sunshine. This, I think, is the most fundamental fear of all.
Three consolations
But enough of doom and gloom. Let's take a look at the flip-side of the coin and consider more reasons for believing that death may not be such a bad thing after all.
The Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399 BC) believed that it is irrational to worry about death. After all, we know little, if anything, about it. For all we know, it may turn out to be the greatest of all blessings. So there is absolutely no point getting worked up, or jumping to unpleasant conclusions.
Socrates himself was tried and sentenced to death by the Athenian courts, accused of corrupting the youth and disbelieving in their ancestral gods. According to his pupil, Plato, he faced death with remarkable composure: "The hour of departure has arrived and we go our ways - I to die and you to live. Which the better, God only knows."
The Roman politician and philosopher Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) also considered it irrational to fear death. He supported this view with what I think is a very beautiful argument: no one frets about their past non-existence (before they were born), so why should they fret about their future non-existence after they are dead?
"Would you not think him an utter fool who wept because he was not alive a thousand years ago? And is he not just as much of a fool who weeps because he will not be alive a thousand years from now? It is all the same; you will not be, and were not."
Seneca was sentenced to death by the infamously wicked Roman Emperor Nero. In fact, he was ordered to commit suicide. And, like Socrates before him, he met his fate with extraordinary courage and fortitude.
The philosopher Epicurus (342-270 BC) considered the fear of death to be one of life's major sources of anguish. He devised a very famous argument to convince us that our fears are misplaced. "Death, the most dreadful of all evils, is therefore of no concern to us; for while we exist, death is not present, and when death is present, we no longer exist."
Personally, I find these philosophical sources of consolation very comforting. However, I am aware they are not to everyone's taste.