From the moment we are born we are edging progressively nearer to our demise. The fear of death is not an uncommon thought process, but people will differ in their understanding and acceptance to this fact.
Can we answer with any true certainty what will happen after we die? The answer is not with any complete certainty, although different religions will speak of the afterlife and what beholds those whom passover. This concept is more of a benefit belief, to know where we are going and what will happen. Religion and science remain on a constant quest in search of the definitive answer.
The preconception of death will raise many questions, of which answers are sought. What will become of family and friends that remain behind, the people close to our hearts in the living?
History has recorded individual accounts of “near death” experiences and regale tales of bright lights and feelings of warmth and belonging. These instances raise our hopes and gives a promise to what we do not know. But in true scientific terms there is no one, single definitive answer to the age old question of life after death.
Is it more susceptible to fear death when you know that you are dying with a terminal illness, or is the notion of not knowing the point at which we will leave this world an easier route? Questions that can and will be argued and remain elusive.
The state of worry that may develop in the fear of dying can develop into what has been referred to as “death anxiety”. Death anxiety is a psychological illness that can that can influence how a person lives, due to consistent concern with their time and manner of death. At the opposite end of the spectrum we find the affliction diagnosed as Existential Crisis, where the manner of existence is questioned and can be derived from the notion of death itself. The cycle of life has its mysterious qualities that invoke a yearning for discovery.
We all need to know that we have lived a full, and rewarding, life, but the only certainty in life is that we will eventually die. We try our hardest to prolong the inevitably of this through measures such as healthy eating and exercise and the constant daily rituals that we believe will increase our life expectancy.
Death is a blank canvas and people will resort to varying methods to cope with the actual event, be it through religion, prayer, ignorance or denial. But the basic principle is to use a method that brings forth comfort to the mind and soul of the impending truth, so that we may live out our lives in peace.
