Is awareness of death is good?

[blazeofglory]

Man is mortal and the transience of life agonizes all of us. The awareness of death is not found in early childhood and when man matures into adulthood the knowledge of death becomes more and more acute and then he becomes a philosopher thinking that everything he is proud of in life has to be parted with and this futility of living and owning worldly riches becomes abhorrent to him and that eggs on him to take to a path towards otherworldliness or mysticism.

No matter how much we earn and how high we climb professionally and how much land do we own will leave us in a state of disillusionment at the end of the day. Whether we succeed or fail in geological time there is no difference and sooner or later both king and pauper meet with the same end.

I feel at times when we think about death we are starting to die before natural death occurs and since we have no choice in the end it is foolhardy to think about death beforehand. We must forget that we will die someday and live the times available to us rejoicing over everything we do in life. Thinking about immortality will help us live a fuller, merrier and cheerier life rather than sulking over what may turn up ultimately. Life is really beautiful and the case of a dying man and the way he wants to live on and on endorses this fact more than anything else in the world. Death is really painful and the sheer name of death torments in life. When we come to know someone very close and intimate to us will die the intensity of pain will be too high. This substantiates the fact that how dear life is to us.

Conversely, some argues that the thought of death is a must and when we become acutely conscious of death we are less likely to indulge in things that are amoral in life and people become corrupt and criminal forgetting that one day they will have to part with everything they own in this mundane world. If man knows death is approaching him every hour he is likely to abstain from doing filthy or sinful things. Why people will build up mansions upon the sweats of the poor if they really know that all these material possessions will have to be parted with finally.

Maybe here may differ and look at death from different standpoints. I open it to discussion on the forum

[Dirtbag]

Nobody really dies... bodies disappear... but parts of your self continue to flow through the social networks you've become a part of or the audiences that you've influenced.

(insert some sort of transition)

Knowing we're going to die allows us to make plans like wills and burials... I think that's good thing. Atleast a courteous and cultured thing.

It also keeps people caring about their health. Healthy people are generally more attractive. More eyecandy in the world makes for a sweeter place. lol, puns.

[blazeofglory]

You are agreeable

[Hurricane]

Being aware of your own death doesn't mean you have to live in fear. If anything, it could make your life more meaningful.
Every one of us will die. That is a fact. It's not something that "may turn up", it will, and we all are essentially living on a ticking timer. There's not really any point in worrying too much about something that is effectively out of our control. Sure, there are things you can do to make sure you don't die from something stupid, but at the end of the day the tax collector always comes around.
But isn't the point of life to risk it, to experience it fully? It's exhilarating to do something that, by rights, could kill you and doesn't. If there's no risk, there's no reward. If you don't think that you will ever die, then what's the point of doing anything at all?

[formality hater]

I believe death is a part of our journey in this world.When we are ready to greet anything that this world offers, why make death an exception! Afterall, nothing looks good without an ending.

[themiddleprince]

I came to the conclusion some time ago that, as Somerset-Maugham and others have intimated, life really has no purpose and therefore no innate value. It's a mathematical reality, no more.

This isn't a depressing mindset, it's liberating. We should be nice to each other because we might as well have as pleasant a time as possible while we're here.

I have no idea what happens when the breathing stops. I err towards a void, but I don't know and I don't really care.

Worrying about death just takes up time you could be enjoying. It's going to happen, accept it. If you can't shake the fear of Heaven and Hell then accept that too, that's just what makes you you: behave in a way that will allay your fears and get you into a Heaven that might well exist.

[PSRemeshChandra]

Death is the end of all earthly cares and the beginning of a new way of life uncorpuscular. Suppose we have come to this world for a brief stay away from our home. Won't we be happy to return to our dear and near? Or suppose we actually are not living in this world but lying on some other realm of time and dreaming about leading a life in the Planet Earth which we know for some reason. What relevance is there then for this frantic fear of leaving this world at an unexpected time? Considering the limitlessness and complexity of this universe and other universes, it is not logical to think that there is not any scheme for things. The growth of a seed into a tall tree and the growth of a tiny child into a very ifluential man of the world reveals that everything is excellently planned and the key for chartered growth is implanted in each being. Not everything in this world is a being and so every being has its purpose and its meaning. At least they serve well the purpose of maintaining an uninterrupted continuity of life through adversities. A man who just lies in his cozy easy chair and think about its brevity and meaninglessness don't have the bird's eye view to watch its adventurous progress through the ages. It was like a relay race bearing a torch of flame through millions and millions of years. The race from a simple plankton to a space-travelling man was not a short and easy one. The biological chain could have been broken anywhere, anytime. That is the ultimate purpose of man-to continue and further life.

[themiddleprince]

Hey, well at least it asn't me that killed this thread...

[LitNetIsGreat]

Hell, you lot should check out my Woody Allen's Pessimisim thread, you might like it.

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61529

[Paulclem]

The Buddhist view of death is interesting. There are various meditations that practitioners do in order to instil a real feeling that death will come. This is on the premise that we all live our lives with an academic awareness of death, but without the conviction that it will really happen to us.

What that means is that when it does come, it is a shock and instills fear and anxiety at a time when - in the Buddhist view - a calm outlook is crucial. (Due to the arising of Karma and the direction of the next re-birth).

We all imagine that we could be calm and accepting of death, but is this true? It often happens unexpectedly when there can be no mental preparationfor it. The Buddhist view is that this awareness and associated practices will assist the mind whenever it happens.

You might think that just thinking "I know I will die" or "I'll be calm when it happens" is enough, but the Buddhist view of the mind is that the deeper levels of mind need to have this instilled in them. I think this is where western psychology has been lacking in the model of the mind. For example, when you hear bad news, or feel a strong emotion, you don't think it in your head first, but you feel it in your heart area. Buddhists say this is where the mind is seated - rather than the brain.

So, yes, a proper awareness of death is good from the Buddhist perspective.


Hell, you lot should check out my Woody Allen's Pessimisim thread, you might like it.

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61529

I like the interview. Good stuff.

[G L Wilson]

Yes, it is.

[MarkBastable]

No matter how much we earn and how high we climb professionally and how much land do we own will leave us in a state of disillusionment at the end of the day.

You're doing this 'we' thing again. You simply can't - you can't - speak for all of us. We don't all end up disillusioned. You can only feel disillusioned if you set out with an illusion - and not all of us do.

And even if we did, the realisation of that illusion might not leave us disillusioned - it might leave us liberated, free, entirely happy.

The premise you present is not universal. By suggesting that it is, you make it impossible to debate. I really think that you need to work on your capability to understand that not everyone experiences life in the way that you do.


Maybe here may differ and look at death from different standpoints. I open it to discussion on the forum

See, that's a start. But if you believe that, how can you begin with a statement as uncompromisingly definitive as...



No matter how much we earn and how high we climb professionally and how much land do we own will leave us in a state of disillusionment at the end of the day.

?

[themiddleprince]

Yes, it is.

Yeah, that's what I meant.