I don’t know that people are as afraid of dying as they are afraid that they won’t have accomplished what they wanted before they get there. Death is absolutely, positively inevitable. Fearing it isn’t going to change it. However, some people do seem to be more accepting of this fact than others. My guess is the people who accept it are more accepting of other facts of life as well. One of the most important keys to living without fear is to understand that some things are beyond your control. On the other hand, there are some things you can control. There isn’t enough time on this planet to worry about the things you can’t control. Death is one of them.
So, how does one conquer fear of death? I’m making the assumption that this is a common goal. Perhaps I’m wrong. There may be some who fear death, but want to continue to do so. It takes all kinds, I suppose. But, for now, allow me the indulgence to assume people want to rid themselves of this fear. How does one accomplish this? The first step is acceptance. This is true with any fear.
Here’s an analogy: Let’s say you have a fear of flying. The flying fear is unrelated to fear of death. Before you get into an airplane, there are certain things you’re going to have ot accept. For a two-hour, or so, stretch of time, you are going to have to trust that man has conquered physics long enough to stay suspended above the earth and point themselves in the proper direction to get themselves where they’re going. As impossible as it sounds, this is true. Denying the fact doesn’t change it. Accepting this fact may help you overcome the fear. The same goes with death. There is absolutely no sense in denying it’s going to happen. If you can accept this as pure fact, perhaps you can overcome your fear.
I think the best way to overcome fear of death is to try and get some things done in the short time you’re here. Set some goals. For me, I’m big on travel. There are things I want to see before I die. Of course, affordability comes into the picture. In order to see everything I want to, I have to live to be 200 years old. Hate to say it-it ain’t gonna happen. So, one has to prioritize. Just because I can’t accomplish everything I want, doesn’t mean I can’t accomplish something. Knowing this should be able to keep one going. Fretting and worrying doesn’t accomplish anything.
The crux of my argument is this: I understand why some people fear death. Fear of the unknown. Fear of any “afterlife.” There are a million things we don’t know and it’s scary. But, the fact is, the fact that we don’t know is one more thing beyond our control. If you can’t control it, no sense worrying about it. My bottom line is, don’t let your fear of death make you afraid to live.
