birth & death

[amanda_isabel]

is there a connection between birth and death?

if there is, then what is it? how do they intersect?

what draws us to babies?

what draws-or repulses-us to funerals?

[bhekti]

Yup.
Life.
Mom and Dad.
Bullets.

[IrishCanadian]

what draws us to babies?

what draws-or repulses-us to funerals?
We like emotion. Even bad emotion has some human attracton to it. Babies could feed pride or wonder ... typical but (i think) true: babies remind us of how wonderful creation can be.
Funerals? I don't know. Love perhaps?

[ShoutGrace]

Yup.
Life.
Mom and Dad.
Bullets.

:lol: :lol:

I don't know if that was intended to be taken as comical, but I for one found it hilarious! Thanks!


We like emotion. Even bad emotion has some human attracton to it. Babies could feed pride or wonder ... typical but (i think) true: babies remind us of how wonderful creation can be.

I think that is true. Looking towards the future, hope of better things to come, opportunities . . .

Death is fascinating partly because it is the one thing we haven't any experential knowledge of. The Great Unknown. The one unique experience that we all will experience. Death is captivating for me in the same way the Universe is : I cannot quantify or form a conception of either.

[mono]

is there a connection between birth and death?

if there is, then what is it? how do they intersect?
To place it very simply, though not as simply as bhekti did, I would not necessarily say that birth and death intersect, but that one inevitably will lead to another (birth will always lead to death; vice versa depends on a person's beliefs in reincarnation).
Buddhist thought, especially Tibetan Buddhism, reflects greatly on the thought of beginning the dying process immediately after birth, sometimes after the body has reached full growth, which makes some sense: the immune system gradually weakens, muscles atrophy, the lungs gain less elasticity, skin elastin decreases (wrinkles, sagging, etc.), and inevitably the body slowly (usually) declines. With enough self-care, however, many individuals can delay this process of aging.

what draws us to babies?
I have always wondered this, too - why do individuals seem so attracted to the sight of babies, infants, and toddlers? On a cynical, and rather comical, note Nietzsche once wrote "we are so fond of being out among Nature, because it has no opinion about us." Perhaps this could also apply to babies, as they seem so much more of perceivers than judgers. :D

what draws-or repulses-us to funerals?
The imaginable or unimaginable end, much like the 'unknown,' to put it simply, either scares or interests most people. I definitely agree with what Michel de Montaigne once wrote, however, that most individuals do not fear death itself, but more fear a painful or miserable death - in essence, fearing the means rather than the end.

[Chava]

On second thoughts it is actually a good question why we're attracted to babies ( i never saw the "cuteness" in little wrinkly things that drool, but then girls in my class are covering their locker's with pictures of babies taken from the internet, (with visible drool?!?) and they adore the little "bundle's of joy".
Hmm, maybe one day the "mother-gene" will hit me too... dribble dribble

Anyway, supposedly the big eyes and all other baby characteristics give the impression of vulnerability, and thus appeals to a protective gene. A scientifc theory has been sugested to say that the baby "cuteness" that small animals have as well, is nature's defence from abandonment. Seriously.

[Union Jack]

is there a connection between birth and death?

if there is, then what is it? how do they intersect?

what draws us to babies?

what draws-or repulses-us to funerals?

1) I agree with the first guy, life connects birth and death.

2) See answer 1.

3 and 4) I suppose it would be a combination of influences such as natural instancts towards child-rearing, and social practices. There is a general stigmatization of death in our culture, many view it as an end or a "bad" thing. So we do not like funerals becasue...

a) If we invited to a funeral, most likely it was someone we knew, and thus would harbour sentimental anguish.

b) Most animals are averse to death. Many animals tend to avoid the remains of others of their kind. Is there a natural aversion to death? If so, how is it detected by our body, which in turn produces a physical response to make us feel uneasy?

c) Funerals are associated with sadness, loss and pain, in our culture. So it is no wonder we would rather not attend.

[The Unnamable]

Whoever has lived long enough to find out what life is, knows how deep a debt of gratitude we owe to Adam, the first great benefactor of our race. He brought death into the world.

Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because we are not the person involved.

All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"—a strange complaint to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.


Mark Twain Pudd'n'head Wilson

[Bookworm Cris]

Quote: The Unnamable
Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because we are not the person involved.


I agree with you. To the person involved, death may be the passage to another 'place', frequently better than this one. Someone said that "we are spiritual beings, in a physical body". Hence, our natural habitat isn´t this physical world. So, when one dies, he is 'going home', and we should not be grieving, but rejoicing. And when a baby is born, he´s 'leaving home' to enter this world of sorrows.
So, why our natural reactions are the opposite? Because we selfishly want our beloved ones close to us. It´s human nature, against alll reasons...

[blazeofglory]

is there a connection between birth and death?

if there is, then what is it? how do they intersect?

what draws us to babies?

what draws-or repulses-us to funerals?

Both are parts of the same.