Death is something that we all have to face at some point in our lives. Whether it is the death of a pet or the death of a loved one, no doubt it is painful and difficult to deal with.
There is also another aspect of death that is terrifying to many, which is the death of the self. In this article, we will focus the discussion on the death of the self, mortality awareness and how it affects our life choices and its relation with the meaning of life. Even though the thought of death can be terrifying, it is not something we should avoid talking about. This is because discussing death gives us new perspectives on life and how we should live our lives.
What is Death?
But first, what is death? Death is the opposite of being alive. There are a lot of controversies on the definition of death, and debates on the question of “how to pronounce death”, but for the purpose of this discussion, we will stick with the colloquial definition of death as the permanent cessation of vital biological activities in an organism.
Why is death terrifying?
Unlike other phases we go through in our lives, death has a profound impact on our perception and decisions because it is the final step in our life journey. In other words, it is irreversible. There’s no turning back once you have passed the point of death (assuming that there is no afterlife beyond death).
Awareness of Mortality and Life Choices
Usually, the awareness of death or mortality of life only comes when we lose someone dear to us, or at a point in our lives when we realize that we have limited time left to live, or after we go through a life-and-death experience. The awareness of mortality is usually terrifying and anxiety-provoking to many.
As a result, according to the psychological theory “terror management theory”, the fear of death forces us to adapt to it in some way or another. The common responses to the fear of death range from denial and deep existential anxiety, to legacy building and taking more conscious life choices.While denial and existential anxiety are the natural reactions we inherit from our ancestors when we face potential danger, as human beings with the capacity to reason, it is vital for us to take the additional step to process our physiological reactions and take appropriate responses driven by reason.
3 Reason-Driven Approaches to Death:
Stoicism and Momento Mori “Remember You Must Die”
Momento Mori is a reminder of the inevitability of death. In Stoicism, the reminder is not to promote fear, but to inspire and motivate positive actions and choices. According to Stoicism, the awareness of mortality should be treated as a reminder to not waste any time on the trivial and vain, and to live every day to the fullest.
Camus – “Laugh Until We Die”
For Camus, it is absurd for humans to search for meaning because life has no meaning and that nothing exists that could ever be a source of meaning. Nonetheless, this should not stop us from embarking on passion projects and live a subjectively meaningful life. However, death will nullify any kind of “meaning” you attempt to create during your life. Even so, according to Camus, we should nonetheless enjoy the ride of this meaningless rollercoaster even though it will come to an end eventually.
Heidegger – Death As the Motivator to Life
For Heidegger (an existentialist), a prerequisite for living a meaningful life is to embrace the fact that some day we will all die. According to him, mortality is what gives meaning to our lives; the awareness of mortality forces us to realise that we are free to choose every action we take. One may attempt to empower themselves in the face of the inevitable, taking greater risks because one knows one will die regardless of what they do.
Does Death Really Give Life Meaning? What is the Meaning of Life, Anyway?
The question about the meaning of life has been a perennial question that has been asked for centuries but has yet to be conclusively answered. It’s common for philosophers to distinguish between two (or more) meanings of life. The meaning of life is largely understood in the “cosmic” and “terrestrial” senses. A cosmic sense refers to an overall purpose with which our lives are associated. The terrestrial sense of meaning is the meaning people find in their own lives, usually perceived subjectively. (Paul, ‘The Meaning and Value of Life’, 118-9.)
In nihilism and absurdism, as briefly discussed earlier, it is believed that life has no meaning in the cosmic sense. However, the lack of ultimate meaning in human existence need not in any way negate or diminish the significance of meaning in people’s lives in non-ultimate ways.
Understood in the “terrestrial” way, death gives meaning to people’s lives because it motivates us to live fully in a finite amount of time given to us. According to Frankl, an immortal life would lead to meaninglessness because human beings would procrastinate or be unmotivated to take action. And consequently, nothing would get done and our lives would be rendered meaningless. In other words, a biological deadline motivates people to act now. As Karl Popper writes, it is “the ever-present danger of losing it [i.e., life] which helps to bring home to us the value of life.” (Popper, 1992)
So, How Do We Prepare for Death? Should We Even Prepare for Death?
We Don’t Need Death to Tell Us How to Live!
One could also say that a biological deadline is not necessary for life to have meaning. Well, we do things because we are intrinsically motivated to do so, and death is just an extrinsic motivator that perhaps gives us an additional push towards our goals in life. One could also say that it is not death itself that gives life meaning, but rather the transcendence of death that does. For instance, philosopher Nozick argues that transcending one’s temporal finitude, by leaving one’s legacy in writings, artwork, music, or in the history or memory of others, makes one’s life meaningful. (Nozick, “Philosophical Explanations”, 582-585, 594-600.)
The best way to prepare for death is perhaps to live well. Perhaps there shouldn’t be so much emphasis being put on the end at all. Think about it: Why should we give licence to death to influence us? It is perhaps up to us to dictate what’s meaningful, not death. Maybe we should just treat death as a natural phase of life and just live. It is what it is.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to encourage suicide, but rather, to get our readers to reflect on the question of mortality and take more control of their lives, in the face of uncertainty and dread.