Monday, September 08, 2008

Death: The Greatest Fear?

As human beings, we are perhaps more concerned with our own finality than most other creatures that live on land or in the waters of the planet Earth. I am quite sure that other animals have a concept of death too, especially apes, whales and elephants. Still, I doubt that these animals have philosophized about death in the way that Homo sapiens have.

As humans, we know death well. We kill other animals for food, and are well aware of the fact that there are predators and prey in the world. We recognize that death can come peacefully, though most often there is some amount of pain associated with it. Perhaps this is what scares us the most.

Death is a final event that is feared by both man and beast. One will go to great lengths to avoid it. Yet sometimes, a person will end his own life in suicide. What a desperate and depressed state such a person would have to be in, to fight the natural feelings of avoiding death. Throughout history though, cases of humans and animals simply giving up on life are well known.

Humans have dealt each other death on the battlefield or during crimes such as murder. Images of violent deaths are shown in movies and television shows. It seems that the morbid curiosity of watching another person die is still alive within people. Indeed, the coliseum in Italy is a place many people would like to visit, though many people were tortured to death there in ancient Rome.

Death may come peacefully in your sleep, or violently in an accident. Most of us hope if not peacefully, at least it will be quick. Humans fear change most of all, and what could be more of a change than your own death?

Time goes fast. Make the best of your life. While the end may be unwritten, it can only have one final outcome. Get off your ass and do something great before that happens!

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