See this is exactly what I'm talking about when I say I rather not touch the subject of philosophizing, especially when it comes to a complex topic such as death. Death can have a million points of view and theories, so let's keep it simple.
First off, just like Savater points out, it IS going to happen sooner or later. However, I'm gonna have to question Epicurus on this one. Sure, he may have been a great philosopher in his time, and I'd love to hear more about his theories, but there's just one little statement I disagree with. Not fear death? How dare he? I think we have more than the right to fear it, especially when it might not be a very peaceful one. How can we not fear something we've never experienced?
Quite frankly, it scares the hell out of me. Not because it's something I've never experienced, although I'm sure everyone has had that kind of feeling, sort of like getting nervous about something new. It's more like I don't feel like finding out whether I'm gonna get eaten by maggots and just rot away, or come back as an insect or a piece of grass if I'm unlucky, or actually walk through the gates of Heaven or Hell as my spirit self.
I've read/heard a few death experiences. Most of them I believe were quite unpleasant. Some even claim to have seen "the light". Even if these experiences can be explained scientifically, aren't those people the ones we should ask if there IS actually something to fear? What should we believe and rely on? Religion? Science? Both?
I might not be the best catholic in the world, but I do know this:
It's better to die believing in God, or a higher force, and then find out there is no such thing, then to die not believing in anything like that, and find out there is a God.
I agree a lot with your point of view of death. I think that yes we can’t fear something we haven’t experienced beacause how can you fear something if you don’t know anything about it. You have a good point of view when you say that we must believe in someone instead of not believing anyone. Great blog post Andres, congratulations!
ReplyDeleteWell I think that fearing dead is a way of dying already. If it is going to come, let it come. Let us not to be afraid of it, but realize that is a part of beeing alive. So, if we try to live a happy life, we will have a happy ending. Now, I'm not critizicing the people that fear dying, is completely understandable to fear something we don't know about, but I'm expressing the way I feel about death.
ReplyDelete