I'd like to share some small thoughts on death that emerged from my discussion with a good friend:
"Maybe the question of death should precede the question of life."
If we take the question of death as seriously as the question of life, then maybe we can say that we have started off with a wrong starting point in our search for our personal meaning in life. Most of us take our current situation as the starting point from where we try to find ways to alter our current situation into happier states. Maybe, in order to gain true happiness, we should start with the undeniable fact that one day we will die. It’s the surest thing that will happen to us so why not simply accept it. Once we accept it, we don’t feel the need to deceive ourselves anymore in fairytales of after-lives, of God, of any other metaphysical being or otherworld. Then, by being conscious of death and being free from death anxiety, we can finally accept ourselves as ultimately responsible for our own lives. It’s empowering as it places tremendous power into our own bodies.
Albert Camus’ existential statement that
“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide”
then suddenly may be not very far out of place. He might have seen that the question of death should precede the question of life as well.
Being aware of non-existence makes us aware of the grand possibilities of existence
Ultimately, our being-towards-death creates the awareness of the possibilities of existence. In order to be aware of these, one must be aware of the possibility of nonexistence – hence being aware that one day we will die and not exist anymore. Being aware of this fact could struck us with anxiety, but it might as well encourage us to build an authentic life.
Inauthentic existence is grounded in preoccupation with actuality. It is not aware of our eventual death, it does not see the importance of possibility, and is therefore extremely dull and poor. Authentic existence, on the other hand, is aware of the metaphysical significance of death.
I agree with what you are sayi g. More, I think death is just the experience that the soul has when it's going into another form of life, as it is pure energy and cannot dissappear. That's why we should be happy that we are taking part of living in a human body and live as we are empty within.
Well spoken sir. Life has no value without death 💀
Existential self examination is to be taken head on on a daily basis.
Man.. Your posts are too smart for this world!))
Haha, I take that as a compliment. ;)
I was talking to a client last name but about this.. we are all go Ng to die eventually.. we can either speed it up are try and delay it for as long as possible, but when death comes to take us we can't resist and when and where and how is a mystery unless you take your own life
Hi @tuakanamorgan. Thank you for the comment. Are you a psychologist or doctor?
None I'm a personal Trainer
There can be no life without death. Accepting death trully does free you in a way from all the bullshit you keep telling yourself...
I entirely agree, Mr. trendo!
nice post ,,, you have good blog , Good luck. Comrade
Thank you, I appreciate that you like my blog. :)
Authentic existence, I like that term, thanks
Yeah, I like it as well... :)
Excellent content friend you always makes me reflect
Thank you very much! If it makes you reflect, it means I did my job well... ;)
I agree that many people turn a blind eye to non existence. It may be because some may regard it as morbid and grotesque but everyone has to accept the fact we all have to leave this world and not wondering what happens after are death affects our view of existence.
Yeah! Thank you for your comment, arckrai. I hope you've enjoyed reading it. :)
Nice work, i hope you grow fast on steemit :)
Thank you! I appreciate/love your comment. That is supermotivating... :)
You are more than welcome
The idea of after life have many people viewing death as a crossing over into this supposed paradise. This concept of the afterlife was introduced by religion as a ploy to govern the life of its followers. I always wondered why should one have to die in order to reap the benefits of doing good deeds on earth. This is just my opinion but Im not willing to die to experience this place, instead I will create my heaven on earth. The gift of life is taken for granted by those who wake up each day. It's those who transition into death that have so many undone things. Ever heard the saying "The grave yard is full of talents." Often times many people never live out they dreams or to their full potential simply because they let others coach them on how to write their life narrative.
Death is something that we all are going to have to experience at some point. When it come just hold your head high and accept fate. Be sure you enjoy life while it last and live with no regrets.
Keep on steemit-ing it up. Great read. 👍🏾👍🏾
Yes. You have a point there but for me, death is just a passage to another life. This life is a preparation to the next.
Have you ever wondered why babies cry once they come out from the womb of a mother? The people around us (parents, friends,...) are happy to see us born. So, Maybe, just maybe, we already "died" once in another world before we were born into this world.
And when we die, the opposite happens. It's the people around us cry.
Just some radical thoughts... 🤔
Could yo explain this with Camus' suicide statement again please? What is the philosophical problem?
Camus believed that previously we asked whether life should be worthwhile to live. However, now it has become clear that once we know that life has no meaning, we can live it better. I'd like to interpret this as: if we are aware that life has no meaning, because we will all die, then we will be encouraged to live a more fulfilling life if we accept that we could at least make the best of this one life we have.
Hm, I don't understand the first sentence of your reply. Did you forget a word somewhere in the sentence? I think that the meaning of live is to live. I guess that is not enough to be called a meaning. Why should it be meaningless just because we die? The meaning is to carry life further but why and where we are coming from is difficult to answer. People end their lives because of trauma, violence,.. which makes it for them better to be dead than to live, so the basic setting of living would be to be happy because if you are't life is a burden. My father ended his life and we think that he found peace and that this is the most important thing. I know that I am not the best conversation partner. What do you think about suicide? Many people tell me that this is really bad because it leaves the amily and friends behind but
i think that individual feelings are more important then the feelings of others.
You might not like what I'll be saying. Personally, I think taking your own life just because times are tough, situations are getting worse, or to the extreme where there seems to be no hope for a better life, etc., is a way for people to get rid of the "problem" that they're going through.
Also, Life becomes meaningless if one is not willing to be helped.
Correct me if I'm wrong but this post is very opinionated. 😬
I have heard sources ranging from Jordan Peterson to Carlos Castaneda saying this.
It is, however, difficult to embrace this understanding. It is not something that you can just say. You have to viscerally feel that possibility. Otherwise, this sense is nothing more than a fleeting thought. Another tweet that floats by our screen...
And yet, a tough situation that makes us feel a little (or a lot of) desperation can bring us in touch with that urgency. Then, we forget once we are comfortable.
My question is if, once we again feel that urgency, we can somehow hold on to it rather than forgetting.
Not sure it's such a good idea. Last year Istarted thinking about death and the unendlessness of life and a couple of months later I got into a depression...
I like your writing skills and this post shows you put effort into it!
GJ :)
I like your post, and I agree.
I think that having death in mind also forces us to be better human beings, especially if we believe in some sort of final judgement or 'judgement day'. Because not believing in that will make people careless of their behaviours and actions.
Very interesting post. Many people find the concept of non-attachment difficult to realize ( I struggle with it sometimes, too). We are obsessed with the duality of "good" and "bad" things happening to us, instead of accepting moments that unfold as just that, moments. To many, life is just another possession that we are entitled to "own".
Upvoted and followed. Thanks for the post.
Very good post. Being aware of death erases the illusion that we have infinite time to live our lives. One should be aware of death and not deal with it in fear but embrace it and as a result embrace his own life afterwards.
Death is part of life and not just physical but in every aspect of life. We are constantly going through changes and transformation through out life before the final one hits.