Cancer and the Consolation of Philosophy
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Death: Something to Dread or to Embrace
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Death: Something to Dread or to Embrace
Death is coming for us all. The order of our birth does not determine the order of our passing. It is dreaded by all people to varying degrees. How are we to receive comfort knowing that death awaits us?
In Stoic philosophy, observations from nature provide two possibilities: returning to non-existence or a rebirth/afterlife.
In returning to non-existence, death is the end of pain and all suffering. It is a period at the end of a sentence. It is like returning to our state of existence before we were born – no memories or consciousness. The idea of non-existence may bother us while we exist, but our cessation is the end of our cares. Eat, drink, and be merry. Enjoy your life however long or short it may be.
In view of rebirth/afterlife, death is not the end of our existence, but a transition to another state of existence. It is a comma or semi-colon in a sentence. It is like falling asleep on a train or airplane and waking up in a different country. The transition is like walking through a door to another room. There is pain and suffering in the process of dying, but none in the act of death. Fear should only exist for people who’s lives were full of evil.
Once we embrace the idea of our death, we are no longer paralyzed by fear. It enable us to live as we were meant to live – with freedom.
“‘Rehearse death.’ To say this is to tell a person to rehearse his freedom. A person who has learned how to die has unlearned how to be a slave.” – Seneca (quoting Epicurus “Rehearse Death”)
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