Does It Make Sense to Fear Death?

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You know, when I was a kid, I spent a lot of time pondering the big questions—especially the idea of death. Not that I was worried about my physical head, but rather what was going on inside it: my consciousness. The thought that one day I won’t exist has always haunted me. Even now, as an adult, when I lie in bed at night, that familiar knot of unease settles in my stomach. I might not be scared of the dark like I used to be, but that fear of death? It’s still there.

So, is it rational to fear death? To get to the bottom of this, I turned to some of the great minds out there. I stumbled upon a fascinating lecture by Dr. Max Bennett, a professor who has a great course on the subject available online. If you’re curious about these existential topics, I highly recommend checking it out.

Dr. Bennett starts off by examining fear itself. He poses an interesting question: when is fear an appropriate response? For instance, it makes sense to be scared of a lion in front of you, but not so much if it’s just your childhood teddy bear. He argues that for fear to be justified, three things must hold true:

1. The object of your fear has to be something bad or potentially harmful.
2. There must be a real chance of that bad thing happening.
3. There should be some uncertainty about whether the bad thing will actually occur.

Now, when we apply this framework to the fear of death, it seems a bit out of place. Sure, it might make sense to fear the process of dying—like worrying about how painful it might be. That’s a legitimate concern. But being afraid of being dead? That’s a different story. Death itself isn’t necessarily bad; it’s just the absence of life. And let’s face it, we all know we’re going to die eventually.

This brings me to a common point I hear from people when discussing death. When I ask them how they feel about it (I’m the life of the party, right?), those who aren’t afraid often say, “What’s there to fear? You won’t even be around to experience it!” While I get the logic, it doesn’t ease my mind. Sometimes it helps for a moment, but once I start pondering it again, especially at night when everything feels more intense, that unsettling feeling creeps back in.

I realized that it’s not death itself that scares me; it’s the awareness that I will die one day. That thought alone is deeply disturbing. To me, existing is the most fundamental aspect of my life, something I take for granted every day. When I reflect on death, it feels like my entire perspective shifts, and suddenly, everything I believed about my existence feels fragile and uncertain. I can’t quite wrap my mind around that.

And while being told not to fear death doesn’t help, I’ve found that gratitude is a bit of a comfort. Recognizing that my existence is temporary fills me with appreciation for being alive right now. So, when death crosses my mind, I still feel that twinge of unease, but I also hold onto a sense of thankfulness for the experiences I’ve had. Dr. Bennett wraps up his lecture by saying that the appropriate emotional response isn’t fear or anger; it’s gratitude for being alive at all.

In summary, the fear of death can be complex. While it might not make logical sense to fear something we won’t experience, the awareness of our mortality can be unsettling. Ultimately, finding gratitude in our existence can help us navigate these heavy thoughts.

For further reading on topics related to home insemination, check out March of Dimes for excellent resources on pregnancy. You might also want to explore this other blog post and this authority on the subject for more insights.