Are You Afraid of Death?

Death is only scary to those who have not sat down and thought it all the way through. We usually only fear that which we do not truly know.

Each and every one of us is going to die someday, so we should prepare for it just like we (should) prepare for all other events.

I have gone through the entire process in my mind along with my sincere belief that death is the end of my existence. It was a bit strange to consider that the world would go on without me into the future; that I would have no experience of what would go on immediately after my death and so on.

I would call it accepting your mortality.

Now I do not fear death. I do not wish for it to come any sooner than it will. I'm just ready for it.

If I am wrong about death being the end of me, won't that be a nice surprise? And if I am right, I'll never really be aware of it.

Which leads us to the idea that one's life could be a waste if this were all there were to it. I have looked at the extent of the universe, its size, its age, and our position as humanity in the face of all of that. I accept that all of humanity in comparison is magnitudes below complete insignificance.

This does not cheapen the value of my life but it puts me in my place. My universe need only to consist of those who encounter me daily either physically or in their thoughts. It is enough for me.

I have yet to lose one of those whom I truly cherish; however I know that I will feel a bit lost for a while when they part.

I finally had to accept that the woman whom I have considered to be the Mother of All Living, my mother, may be passing any day now; that will be a great loss in my world. It does not matter that I am 53 years old and she 86.

If my wife or any of my children or grandchildren were to depart this world, it would strain the limits of my soul for the gross injustice; even though I would attempt to console myself with the stark reality that even all of humanity is as naught, I would be sad.