Fear of death. Why are people afraid of death? Why are we afraid of death? Fear of death as an evolutionary mechanism

There is nothing more natural than to experience the fear of death. Entire social institutions have been built around this fear.

Deep down, none of us can ever believe that he is mortal. We understand this with our mind, but we perceive it as something abstract, far away, which makes no sense to think about. As a result, a person begins to perceive death as something that happens to others, as something that does not concern him.

Death has become something abstract, we treat it as something unreal, which happens only in the movies. We push that fear as far as we can, and as a result, we are not ready when we feel her breath.

Most of all, a person is afraid of its inevitability. Sometimes, a realization comes over a person that sooner or later he and his relatives, like everyone else ... “I don’t even want to think! How so? How is it even possible that you can disappear forever?”

Confess. It's hard for you to accept it too.

Somehow I tried to analyze why certain films break through to tears. I thought it was some kind of musical accompaniment, but then I realized that they all somehow beat the theme of our mortality: “Hachiko”, “The Story of Benjamin Button”, “The Lion King”, “Knockin' on Heaven's Door”, “Green Mile ".

In all these films, the authors manage to raise to the surface those thoughts that we drive away. The fact that everything in this world is finite: happiness, loved ones, our life. It seems to us that we are crying about a dog that is waiting for the owner, but in fact we are crying because we feel that this story is about us. That we can find ourselves in a situation where we lose loved ones. And we do not feel sorry for Benjamin Button, but for ourselves.

People and fear of death

People have always wanted to avoid death. I would like to believe that there is some way to avoid it. Previously, people could only do this in their imagination, so they came up with the afterlife, heaven and even hell. No matter how bad hell is, but still a person does not disappear, which means there is hope ...

Now people have the opportunity to hope for something else: for medicine, for nanotechnology, for freezing. The fear of death is so strong that people turn to charlatans, knowing that they are charlatans. We forget that even the stars and the universe itself are finite. This is probably what terrifies us.

For some reason, people are most afraid of deadly diseases: cancer, AIDS, Ebola, bird flu. Still people are afraid of terrorist attacks. Why are these types of death so impressive to people? For me, they are no worse than any other.

The desire to prolong life by any means is irrational. For some reason, everyone is concerned about life expectancy, as if it changes something. We're wasting years that haven't been lived. In the end, they are in the past, which means they do not exist. We are wasting an infinitesimal amount of time. which we call real. This means that it does not matter how long we have lived, because life is a moment, a point on the time line, and not a segment.

What do we lose by denying death

Denying death, we begin to live as if we have eternity before us. And this is not so. We stop appreciating the little time that is allotted to us. There is another extreme, when people become depressed, because it seems to them that the inevitability of death makes everything meaningless. It's like sitting on a ride and lamenting that it's over. “Enjoy the process!” I want to shout to them.

If we could feel our finiteness all the time, we would stop wasting our lives. Life would have such a taste, such colors that it could be spread on bread. Unfortunately, people feel this taste when their health no longer allows them to enjoy life to the fullest. But even these crumbs a person manages to savor, in spite of any suffering.

I like the illustration from Dostoevsky on this subject. Listen to Prince Myshkin's monologue.

It is the largest in 90% of the planet. It is not surprising - for most of us, death is associated with an inevitable end, with the end of life and the transition to a new, incomprehensible and frightening state. In this article, we will talk about whether it is possible to get rid of such fear in principle, and how to stop being afraid of death.

We sing an ode to life

Imagine spring. Flowering trees, fresh greenery, birds returning from the south. This is the time when even the most gloomy pessimists feel ready for any exploits and submit to the general good mood. Imagine now the end of November. If you do not live in warm regions, then the picture is not the most rosy. Bare trees, puddles and mud, slush, rain and wind. The sun sets early, and at night it is uncomfortable and uncomfortable. It is clear that in such weather the mood is, as they say, lousy - but in any case, we know that autumn will pass, then a snowy winter will come with a bunch of holidays, and then nature will come to life again and we will be genuinely happy and glad to life.

If only things were so easy and understandable with the understanding of life and death! But it was not there. We don't know, and the unknown terrifies us. of death? Read this article. You will receive easy-to-follow recommendations that will save you from far-fetched fears.

What causes fear?

Before answering the question of death, let's look at what it comes from.

1. It's human nature to assume the worst. Imagine that a loved one does not come home at the appointed time, and does not pick up the phone and does not answer messages. Nine out of ten people will assume the worst - something bad has happened, since he can't even answer the phone.

And when a loved one finally appears and explains that he was busy, and the phone "sat down", we throw out a bunch of emotions on him. How could he make us so worried and nervous? Common situation? The fact is that people most often assume the worst, then to exhale with relief or accept the inevitable already doomed and prepared. Death is no exception. We don't know what it brings, but we are already set for the worst possible outcome.

2. Fear of the unknown. We are afraid of what we do not know. Our brain is to blame, or rather, the way it works. When we repeat the same action day after day, a stable chain of neural connections is built in the brain. For example, you go to work every day on the same road. One day, for whatever reason, you need to take a different path - and you will experience discomfort, even if the new road is shorter and more convenient. It's not about preference, it's just that the structure of our brain also scares us for this reason - we didn't experience it, we don't know what will happen next, and this word is alien to the brain, it causes rejection. Even people who don't believe in hell feel uncomfortable when they hear about death.

3. Ideas of hell and heaven. If you grew up in a religious family, then you probably have your own opinion about the afterlife. The most common religions today promise heaven to the righteous and hellish torments to those who lead a life that is not pleasing to God. Given the modern realities of life, it is very difficult to be righteous, especially as required by strict religious canons. As a result, every believer understands that, perhaps, after death, he will not see the gates of paradise. And boiling cauldrons are unlikely to cause enthusiasm to quickly find out what lies beyond the threshold of death.

Don't think about the white monkey

Next, we will talk about several proven ways to stop being afraid of death and start living. The first step is to accept the fact that you are mortal. This is inevitable, and as they say, no one has ever left here alive. However, fortunately, we do not know when our departure will happen.

It can happen tomorrow, in a month or many decades. Is it worth it to worry in advance about what will happen no one knows when? Not being afraid of death, simply accepting the fact of its inevitability - this is the first answer to the question of how to stop being afraid of death.

Religion is not the answer

It is a common misconception that religion brings comfort to the living and removes the fear of death. Of course, it relieves, but in a completely irrational way. Since no one in the world knows what will happen after the end of life, there are many versions of it. Religious ideas about hell and heaven are also a version, and a popular one, but is it reliable? If you have been honoring your God since childhood (it does not matter what religion you profess), then it is difficult for you to accept the idea that not a single clergyman knows what will happen to you after death. Why? Because no one has yet left here alive and no one has ever returned from there.

Hell in our imagination is drawn as a completely inhospitable place, and therefore death can be frightening for this reason. We are not asking you to give up your faith, but no faith should inspire fear. Therefore, there is another answer to the question of how to stop thinking about death. Abandon belief, you will face the inevitable choice between hell and heaven!

Often people are afraid not so much of death as of what can lead to it - for example, diseases. This is the same senseless fear as the fear of death, but it can be effectively dealt with. As you know, a healthy mind lives in a healthy body, which means that as soon as you feel healthy, irrational fears will leave you. Go in for sports, but not through "I don't want to", but with pleasure. It may not be so boring a retreat as a favorite pastime - dancing, swimming, cycling. Start to watch what you eat, give up alcohol or smoking. As soon as you feel yourself confidently standing on your feet, with good health, you will stop thinking about illnesses, and therefore, about death.

Live in the day

There is a saying: "Tomorrow never comes. You wait for the evening, it comes, but it comes now. Went to bed, woke up - now. A new day has come - and again now."

No matter how much you fear the future, in the general sense of the word it will never come - you will always be in the "now" moment. So is it worth it to let your thoughts take you far, while you are all the time here and now?

Why not?

Now it is fashionable to make tattoos in the form of life-affirming inscriptions, and young people often choose the Latin expression "carpe diem". Literally, it stands for "Live in the day" or "Live in the moment." Do not let negative thoughts take you out of life - this is the answer to the question of how to stop being afraid of death.

And at the same time remember death

Investigating the life of authentic Indian tribes that live in Latin America, historians were surprised to find that the Indians honor death and remember it every day, almost every minute. However, this is not because of fear of it, but rather because of the desire to live fully and consciously. What does it mean?

As we said above, thoughts often take us from the moment now into the past or future. We know about death, we are often afraid of it, but on a subconscious level we do not believe in its reality just for us. That is, it is something that will happen sometime. The Indians, on the contrary, understand for themselves that death can come at any moment, and therefore they live with maximum efficiency right now.

How to get rid of the fear of death? Just remember her. Do not expect with fear, but just keep somewhere in your subconscious that it can come at any time, which means you do not need to put off important things for later. How not to be afraid of death? Pay attention to your family and friends, your hobby, go in for sports, change your hateful job, develop a business that is close to you in spirit. As you go about your life, you will stop thinking about death with fear.

Sometimes we worry not so much about ourselves, but about those who are dear to us. Parents are especially familiar with such experiences - as soon as their beloved child lingers on an evening walk or stops answering his mother's calls, the most terrible thoughts come into his head. You can deal with your fear - if you want to, of course.

You will not be able to patronize your child forever, besides, nothing good comes from your experiences. But you yourself suffer, shaking your nervous system with far-fetched fears.

Accept the fact that things are going their way. Be calm, do not worry in vain. And remember that thinking about the bad is a favorite pastime of the brain, but not yours.

A little about death

I am currently reading Goswami Maharaj's book Arrow of Mercy. In fact, these are several seminars compiled into a book. But the content is amazing!

For example, I recently read that we are afraid of death, because we have already died many times. And that we, in principle, cannot be afraid of what we have not experienced ourselves. This thought filled my mind. The fact is that while I was studying philosophy, I wrote all my term papers and my diploma in thanatology. For those who are not in the know, thanatology is the doctrine of death (from the Greek "thanatos" - death and "logos" - teaching, or science). And, accordingly, very often I tried to shed light on the fear of death and dying.

Usually I did not have a more or less clear explanation of this problem. I thought that the fear of death is a transformed fear of the unknown, the fear of losing one's attachments, and so on. But it never occurred to me at all that the fear of death is the result of our experience!

With all this, in my thesis, analyzing the works of Stanislav Grof, I repeatedly referred to his experience of death-rebirth. As a matter of fact, I believed in reincarnation thanks to Grof. Because he so competently and logically substantiated this phenomenon, known in antiquity, but rejected by modern scientists, that it would be foolish not to recognize this.

And then it turns out that in fact it was under my nose! Undoubtedly, the above two reasons have a place to be, but if desired, they can be overcome. But in order to remove memories of experienced deaths from your unconscious, you need to try very hard. And then, it is unlikely that these experiences will be completely erased.

This, by the way, explains many of the fears and phobias inherent in people.

On the other hand, one can observe that people who have reached spiritual perfection do not have this fear at all. Mystic? Not at all. It's just that these people have realized their difference from the body, so they are not afraid of changing the shell. We are not afraid to throw away old clothes and buy new ones.

And if you look more closely, then all world religions help people overcome this fear. I remember how one teacher from our department said that religion is an attempt to drive out the fear of death. In fact, when we realize our true nature, this fear disappears by itself.

Therefore, in order not to die in horror, let's take our spiritual development more seriously. And then all the problems will go away by themselves
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Comments and questions

Alexander Kholopov
If this is an experience that we have had many times, then why is there fear? The reason for fear is not clear ... It should be the other way around. If we know this experience, then why are we afraid?

Pavel Dorokhov
The fear of death comes not from the memory of past experiences, but from forgetting this experience. Accordingly, a person forgets his true nature and clings to the body as if it were something real.

Alexander Kholopov
That's what I'm talking about too.

Alexey Ikonnikov
Whether we're ready for it or not, whether we're afraid of it or not, whether we like it or not, any concept is easily dispelled the moment you're really on the edge and getting really scared. All that remains is faith in what he has cultivated all his life, faith on which it is difficult to focus.

Trying to find the reason why now you should not be afraid of death, being at home, in comfort under the covers, where everything is stable and familiar, is also a manifestation of fear. Internally, it seems that knowing - you control the situation, you know what's what, how it will be. Do not you know. This is self-deception.

Imposing, or imitating, or comprehending the experience of other people does not entail experiencing this experience, even if they are saints, their experience is not indicative, because we do not know how many lives they have experienced before leaving with a smile. You just need to wait and survive. This does not go anywhere, no matter what concepts we hide

Marina Borisenko
There is a wonderful film on this topic, The Art of Dying. There is a phrase about how to learn the art of dying, you must learn the art of living. And then death is not terrible.

Goswami Maharaja ki! Jai! Yes, we are afraid of death for several reasons:
1. Experience of past lives, memory of previous body changes. (Apparently we also remember about the God of Death Yamaraja)
2. Deep fear that we can't really control anything. And we see that life and death are beyond our control.
3. Fear of the unknown. However, not all. Some people don't care, they hope their suffering is now over.

I heard in lectures that the change of body is a very unpleasant thing and that for several months, being in the womb, we are in a state where we remember all our lives, rebirths. We cry and pray to Boa to forgive us, we repent of what we have done. After all, being in a crooked position is also not very pleasant. But shortly before birth, the memory is taken away. The child does not remember anything and lives without remembering his remorse.

Terrible((((
And with Yamaraj, I would rather sing kirtan together than stay in his court. They say that there is nothing more terrible than his appearance and the appearance of his servants.

By the way, there were cases when a person suddenly came out of a coma or, in principle, his condition improved sharply after a serious illness for a couple of days, and then the person died. But these 2-3 days some spent in fear. They dreamed of monsters. It is said that the servants of Yamaraja came to them and warned that he would die. The person was given a chance to "correct". But almost no one has been able to use it properly. Maharaja Parikshit had to learn. Or read the story of Ajamila. There is always a chance to improve the situation.

Roman Alexandrovich
Yes, Marina, you are absolutely right.
Also, no matter how sad it may sound, we do not know how to die, because we do not live at all. Prabhupada said that materialistically minded people only create conditions for life, and they simply don’t have time for life itself.
And so, wasting time for no reason, we “suddenly find ourselves” on the verge of the last exhalation. Well, then - like in Blok: "If you die, you start again from the beginning, and everything will repeat itself, as of old..."

Alexey Ikonnikov
And there is also a very beautiful story about Savitri and Satyavan, whose love conquered death (Yamaraja).

Yaroslav wrote
And I liked the movie "Baba Aziz". There, the protagonist said well before his death, when he was asked: "Why are you rejoicing, are you dying?". To which Baba Aziz replied: "Today I have a wedding night with eternity. Today I will merge with eternity and become it." And he prayed in anticipation. In general, the film is very beautiful, deeply beautiful, about the relationship with God.

Taken - Self-knowledge.ru

What is death? Why do people fear death to one degree or another? Fear of the unknown is a strong fear. As it will be? Will I suffer? What will happen after death? All these specific questions require specific answers.

First, let's try to figure out why almost every person has a fear of death. If we consider this issue more broadly, then we will certainly come to the conclusion that such fear is directly related to the instinct of self-preservation. Any living being will be reluctant to part with his physical shell. Attachment to one's body appears with the birth of this body. This attachment is embedded in the Consciousness by nature itself.

The instinct of self-preservation, which means the fear of death, helps to save life. In other words, the fear of death is a natural feeling that is necessary for life. Life is a priceless gift, and in order to preserve it, we are given the fear of death along with life. It's quite normal.

Another thing is when the fear of death is stronger than it deserves, if it acquires a panic character. Then in death a person sees to an exceptional extent something unknown, dangerous and inevitable. However, for the most part, our fears stem mainly from ignorance. And the most powerful cure for ignorance is knowledge. Everything that we managed to understand and explain is no longer scary. In ancient times, people were terrified of thunder and lightning. However, later people were able to explain the cause of these natural phenomena and the panic disappeared.

The main reason for the fear of death is the identification of people with their own body. Thinking about the meaning of life, a person will certainly come to the question: “Who am I in reality?”. And without really thinking about the answer, the person decides that he is his physical body. Or he decides that the body is primary, and the Soul is secondary. "I am Russian. I am builder. I'm a Christian. I am the father of the family” are typical examples of this identification with the body.

It becomes quite understandable that having come to such conclusions, a person begins to take care of the needs of his body to an exceptional degree. Although if you think a little about the needs of the body, you can understand that in reality our body needs very little. However, people identify themselves and their consciousness with their own mortal physical body. And there comes a time when a person is no longer aware of himself without this body. Now his body needs air, food, sleep, pleasures, entertainment, etc. all the time.

Man becomes a servant of his body. The body does not serve the person, but the person begins to serve his body. And when a human life comes to an end, the fear of death takes over completely. He convulsively begins to cling to his weak body, thinking that with the disappearance of the body, the person himself will disappear, his Consciousness and Personality will disappear.

The pattern looks straight forward. The more we begin to become attached to our body, the more we begin to fear death. The less we identify ourselves with the physical body, the easier we will think about the inevitability of death. In fact, we fear death more than it deserves.

What else are we afraid of? First of all, death is inevitable. Yes it is. But we should not forget that only our physical body, our temporary body suit, dies.

Imagine a situation where you bought a new suit in a store. You liked the style, the color you wanted, the price is acceptable. Already at home, you demonstrated the costume to your loved ones and they also really like it. In this suit you go to work every day. And a year later, you notice that the suit is a little worn out, but it can still serve you well. A year later, the suit was even more worn out. However, it has become so dear to you that you are ready to spend a lot of money on repairs and dry cleaning. You don't even think about buying a new suit. You have practically become one with your old suit.

You carefully store it in a closet, clean it, iron it in a timely manner, do not react to the surprised glances of relatives and colleagues, but only look away. More and more often you are visited by the thought that sooner or later you will have to part with this suit. This thought deprives you of peace and sleep, you are close to a breakdown. You will say: “This does not happen! This is sheer absurdity!” Of course, this is unlikely to happen to a normal person. However, this is exactly how most people relate to their body, to their temporary suit!

In this case, it is not so much to understand - our temporary suit will sooner or later become unusable. But in return we get a new suit, a new body. And it may well be that this body will be even better than the previous one. So is it worth it to be sad?

Also, people are afraid of the unknown. "What will happen to me then?" We often think that we will completely disappear after death. As already mentioned, the best cure for fear and uncertainty is knowledge. The knowledge that life continues after death. It acquires new forms, but this life is the same conscious life as earthly life.

There is another reason for the fear of death. For some people, especially those who consider themselves to be an atheist, this reason may seem insignificant. For many years, for many centuries, people have been called to order with the help of threats and punishments, promising them long torments in hell. Fear of hell is one of the reasons for disbelief in the continuation of life after death. Who would want to believe in life after death, if this future can only bring us suffering? Nowadays, no one intimidates anyone anymore, but the fear that has been ingrained in the subconscious for many generations is not so easy to eradicate.

What else scares a person before death? We are afraid of the pain of the coming transition, we think that death is a long suffering, a very painful feeling. The thought may even creep into my head: “If I die, then I would like it to happen immediately or in a dream, so as not to suffer.”

In fact, the transition itself occurs almost instantly. Consciousness is switched off for a short time. Painful symptoms continue only until the moment of transition. Dying itself is painless. After the transition, all the symptoms of the disease, physical disabilities disappear. The human personality, having crossed the threshold of the physical world, continues to live in new conditions of existence.

But, if we could not get rid of fear, then this fear will remain, because after the transition the Consciousness is not lost and the Personality does not disappear. Usually, we see death as an enemy who wants to take our life. We cannot fight this enemy, and we try to drive away thoughts about him. But death, because you do not think about it, will not disappear. The fear of death will not only not disappear, but will go even deeper, into the subconscious. There, without awareness, it will be even more dangerous and harmful.

Suppose a person died while sleeping and had no near-death experiences. After the transition, a person will see himself in a different environment, but all his thoughts and feelings, from which he was not able to get rid of, will remain. What was in our consciousness and subconscious before the moment of death does not disappear anywhere. A person is only deprived of the opportunity to control his no longer needed physical body. All his thoughts, experiences, fears remain with him.

Wishing to die in a dream or in another unconscious state, we lose a lot, we lose the entire period of growth of the Soul.

Let's look at this problem from a philosophical and religious point of view. It doesn't matter if we consider ourselves believers or not. At least in the Soul we are all philosophers.

We live in the material world not only to enjoy and take everything from life. The Lord, of course, is not opposed to people enjoying life, and has given them everything they need for this. But the Lord also gave each of us a specific life task that corresponds to our strengths and abilities. We are born into this world for a reason. Our task is to do something that is part of the Intention of the Lord, to fulfill our destiny.

More specifically, during our stay on the earthly plane, we need to develop higher abilities in ourselves - the ability to Love and Believe. We also have to go through energy purification - to cleanse our Soul from the dirt that has been accumulated over the period of our entire existence, to work out karmic problems with other people, that is, to become better and cleaner.

First, we need to know our purpose, and then fulfill it. This is also mentioned in the parable of Jesus Christ about the talents, where the master at the end of the age asks the slaves how they used the time and talents given to them (Gospel of Matthew 25, 14-30):

... For He will act like a man who, going to a foreign country, called his slaves and entrusted them with his estate:

And to one he gave 5 talents, to another 2, to the third 1, to each according to his strength; and immediately set off.

The one who received 5 talents went and invested them in a business and acquired another 5 talents;

in the same way, he who received two talents acquired the other two;

The one who received the 1 talent went and buried it in the ground and hid his master's money.

After a long time, the master of those slaves returned and demanded an account from them.

And the one who received the 5 talents came up and brought another 5 talents and said: "Sir," you gave me 5 talents; Behold, another 5 talents I have acquired with them.”

Likewise, the one who received the 2 talents came up and said, “Sir! You gave me two talents; Behold, I have acquired two other talents with them.”

His master said to him: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master."

And the one who received the 1 talent came up and said, “Sir! I knew you that you are a cruel person, you reap where you did not sow, and gather where you did not scatter, and, being afraid, went and hid your talent in the ground; here's yours."

His master answered him: “Cunning and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter; therefore you had to give my money to the merchants, and when I came, I would have received mine with a profit; Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to the one who has 10 talents, for to everyone who has it will be given and it will be multiplied, but from the one who does not, even what he has will be taken away. but cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Having said this, he called out: whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!

Now you yourself can come to the conclusion, why are we still afraid of death? The conclusion is simple. In the depths of our subconscious, a certain task has been formed - the fulfillment of a specific destination. If we have not yet fulfilled this destiny, have not fulfilled our program of being in the physical world, this will disturb us at the subconscious level. And this anxiety, penetrating to the level of consciousness, will already cause specific fears in us.

That is, on the one hand, this fear reminds us of an unfulfilled destiny. On the other hand, such fear, expressed in the instinct of self-preservation, makes us save our lives. And vice versa. People whose earthly life has been spent in constant labor and for the benefit of others often feel that they have fulfilled their destiny. When the time comes to die, they have no fear of death.

Maybe the Abbot of Mount Sinai spoke about this in The Ladder?

“The fear of death is a property of human nature ... and the trembling from the memory of death is a sign of unrepentant sins ...”

Also, one of the Orthodox saints wrote:

“It would be strange if at that time we did not have the fear of an unknown future, there would not be the fear of God. The fear of God will be, it is beneficial and necessary. It helps to purify the soul, preparing to leave the body.

Some people may develop a directly opposite attitude towards death. For people who live according to the principle "after us - even a flood." Why think about death at all, if you can enjoy well already in this life? Someday I will die. And what of that? We all die sooner or later. Why think about the bad? Let's enjoy life now without thinking about the consequences.

There is another extreme. Archimandrite Seraphim Rose in 1980 published a book in English, Soul After Death. He wrote that the testimonies of people who have experienced the temporary death of the body often paint an incorrect and dangerous picture. It has too much light. It seems that one should not be afraid of death. Death is rather a pleasant experience, and after death nothing bad threatens the soul. God does not condemn anyone and surrounds everyone with love. Repentance and even thoughts about it are superfluous.

Father Seraphim wrote:

“The world today is spoiled and does not want to hear about the reality of the spirit and responsibility for sins. It is much more pleasant to think that God is not very strict and that we are safe under a loving God who will not demand an answer. It is better to feel that salvation is assured. In our age, we expect pleasant things and often see what we expect. But reality is different. The hour of death is the time of the devil's temptation. The fate of a person in eternity depends mainly on how she herself looks at her death and how she prepares for it.

In principle, it’s not bad when we don’t get hung up on our future, because everything is in the hands of the Lord. We need to live here and now. To live and realize every minute of your existence. If these are pleasant moments, then we should share our joy with others. If these are sad moments, then this can push us to understand the meaning of life.

However, in any case, no matter how we treat our earthly life, our destiny remains. Whether we take everything from life or more of this life and give it to other people, this destiny does not disappear anywhere. Accordingly, the task becomes a little more complicated - all the time we must remember our purpose and we must use every minute to fulfill it. And you will agree that this does not fit with the principles "After us - even a flood" and "Take everything from life."

Many people can object to us: “We are happy and satisfied with life right now. We have everything - a good job, a good family, successful children and grandchildren. Why should we think about some mythical future? We do not deny that there are many, in fact, wonderful, kind and sympathetic people on Earth who deserve such a happy life with their qualities.

However, there is another option. It was in their past earthly life that these people were kind and sympathetic. And they were able to develop a certain Spiritual potential. And in this life they do not develop this potential, but simply squander it. In fact, everything in this life is good for them. But the potential is rapidly fading. And in the next life, they may have to start all over again.

Of course, you can not believe in all this. And this is a separate topic for discussion. Therefore, the reader is invited to simply think about these questions. In principle, all people have almost equal opportunities. A person is born, goes first to kindergarten, then to school. And here the paths of people diverge. Some go to college, others join the army, others go to work, others start a family, and so on. That is, everyone follows their own path: someone grows, someone falls, someone is happy, and someone is not. That is, everyone seems to have the same opportunities after graduation, and as a result, in 5-10 years, the gap between people can be simply huge.

Here they may object: "It's not only about the possibilities, but also about the abilities." And this is what we proposed to think about. Where does a person get his abilities and opportunities? Why is someone born a genius, and someone is not even able to finish school? Why is one person born into a wealthy family, and someone is born sick or in a family with one parent? Why was there such injustice in the first place?

Who is managing it? Lord or man himself?

You can ask: “It turns out that the fear of death is necessary for a person?” But you can already answer this question yourself. Needed, but only as a self-preservation instinct. And no more. To get rid of the fear of death, in fact, not much is needed - only knowledge. Knowing why we are on Earth and knowing that this earthly life is only a part of one big life of ours.

O. Kazatsky, M. Yeritsyan

The fear of death is inherent in us biologically, it is part of the innate form of behavior of any living being - the instinct of self-preservation. Thanks to this instinct, in case of danger, we do everything possible to avoid it, to save ourselves.

If we were not afraid to die, we would often do dangerous things completely thoughtlessly. We would take more risks, not think about the consequences of our actions. As a result, humanity would simply die out.

However, the fear of death in humans is not only a biological mechanism that promotes survival. Death for a person is a tragedy. For so many people, the thought of death awaiting them is so unbearable and terrible that they try to avoid these thoughts.

What caused this horror?

The reason for the fear of death is that we do not know what awaits us after death. The unknown is always frightening, just like a small child is afraid of the dark, because he does not know what is in it - what if there is danger?

Death is the most important change in our life. With the advent of death, life in the sense we are accustomed to ends. Everyone is afraid of change, and this change is final, irreversible and incomprehensible.

For believers, death is not as mysterious as it is for atheists. For a believer, the end of earthly life is not emptiness and nothingness, but only the end of bodily life, the beginning of a state in which the soul exists separately from the body. Death is a birth from earthly life into eternity, the beginning of eternal life. For Christians, for example, death is the awakening of the soul in the Other World, where it lives either with or without God, depending on how a person lived his earthly life, righteously or sinfully. And therefore, the whole life of a believing person is, by and large, a preparation for death.

Death gives meaning to the life of any person. The realization that our earthly life is not eternal gives a person an incentive to hasten to do good and avoid evil, to love and appreciate life, every moment of it.

By the way...

Little children are not afraid of death. Of course, they know what death is, they face it in their lives, but they do not perceive death as something that is personally relevant to them. Every child thinks that he is special and that he will live forever. The moment when a child realizes that he, too, will someday die, usually comes at the age of about 6 years. And it comes as a huge shock to him. Each of us goes through this.