To himself everyone is immortal; he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead. ~Samuel Butler
People are not afraid to die. It's a fact. It's a fact which defies logic, cause throughout the history of mankind, we have been known to be afraid of countless things, so much so that you only have to look at the ever growing list of phobias to know that I am telling the truth. If you were lucky enough, you might have noticed one among them called thenatophobia and guess what... it's the fear of death or dying. To be sure, that was inevitable. Surely you didn't think I meant no one is afraid of death? Come to think of it, I am not even saying that the majority of us are not afraid of dying. Maybe everyone is to some extent. But before you come to any conclusion and proclaim that I am nothing but a big sadistic liar, hear me out !
Considering the fact that death is the end all of everything one has ever lived for his entire life, and the fact that most of us hardly ever think about it while we go on with our wordly life, one has to admit it's almost as if we don't care much about it at all. Think about it. Think about the supposed significance of death in our lives, and then ask yourself if our concern about it comes even close to that significance, and I am sure for most of us the answer will be a definite NO. I remember, I used to be afraid of dying like anything. To even try to comprehend used to be too much for me. Maybe I had Thenatophobia or maybe I was just a child back then. Probably the latter !
Anyways I guess the biggest factor contributing to this "fearlessness" is the sheer inevitability of death. Cry, cringe, beg all u want, you just cant escape it.
to be continued...
2 comments:
thenatophobia is bearable ........... but not ailurophobia :P
Well, coming to think of it, I guess men are not afraid of the concept of death as an ultimate and natural end to their existence, a remote eventuality (because, as you say, they can't help it). But at the same time, if fear of death may be equated to the instinct of self-preservation, then each and every being must be afraid of death when it seems imminent or an immediate possibility. We have been designed to fear death when it stares us in the face. But then again, that is a biological instinct, not a psychological phobia.
Post a Comment