Life and Death

Welcome back!

Why is life precious to us? Many religions tell of a life after death so why do we, as humans, put so much emphasis on our current lives? Why do we say to ourselves and fellow human beings to "not waste your life" or "find your purpose in life?" On the flip side why do we care when we pass away? Why do we hang onto every possible breath? Why can't we let go?

Everyone has a religion. You may not realize that you have one but you do as a religion explains what you think life is, how you move between life and death and how the universe as you know it exists and functions. As I explained in my first post Science as a Religion your religion does not have to be spiritual, it could be scientific and you could explain life by using facts and experimentation. So if we all have some way to explain the life and death cycle and we have our own ways to explain life after death then why do we care about this particular life?

Our life starts when are mother gives birth to us. Following our birth we figure out basic bodily functions (seeing, thinking, touching, walking, speaking, etc.) through the help of our parents/guardians. At about age 2-3 we start to learn about social rules and interactions. As early as age 4 we enter formal schooling (pre-school/elementary) which teaches us basic language, math, science and art (visual, music, drama, literature, etc.) skills. Depending on the school system we enter secondary school at age 13-14 which starts to narrow down the topics we study. This lasts until about age 17-18.

At this point we have spent about 17-18 years (about 25% of our life) simply learning about the world. It is at this time that I find most people ask the important questions. What is my purpose? What do I do next? Do I enter college or university? Do I become an apprentice? Should I enter the job market?

The ironic part is after each decision and route we ask the same questions again and repeat the process until we retire. For me personally I don't like to answer these questions. I like to live in the present. Of course I have interests and my tasks usually involve those interests. I don't expect that I will pioneer the next technology revolution or that I will be famous one day. Maybe I will be, but there is no way to know for sure and no matter how hard I try I may never reach my ultimate goals. So I live life as it happens. If I see a problem with this world that I believe I could fix or help fix I do so. If I need to learn more skills I do so. If I need to overcome an obstacle I do so. My life has meaning to me and my purpose in this world is to have a chance to experience this part of the universe.

The final stage in life is retirement. For most this is around the age 60-70. During this stage we either share our knowledge with the younger generations, relax and reward ourselves for a long life or wait for our time to pass to the afterlife. Some of us may continue to explore and learn, and possibly revisit our youth to complete tasks that we couldn't in the past. However no matter what we do we all pass way.

I can't stop it, you can't stop it, nobody can stop death. Everyone will die at some point so why do we try to prolong a life? If someone has reached an age where they have contributed to society and the universe, made someone somewhere enjoy their life more and possibly seeded the next generation and beyond is there a need to keep going? What if your body (or the body of someone you love) has become so crippled due to old age that you physically cannot contribute to society or the universe any longer? Why don't we as humans let go at this point? Is it really necessary to spend the resources to keep a human being a live only to suffer through this kind of old age?

It is a tough question to answer for most. They don't want to let go so they try to hang on for as long as possible. For me though there is no need to hang on for this long. I know I will at some point pass way. I'm not scared that this will happen as there is no way for me or anyone else to stop it. If my time comes I will not try to hang on while younger generations spend valuable resources helping me struggle for each breath. When this point comes in my life it would be time for me to step aside and let the younger generations take over as they would be the future of this world, not me.

After a life is put out we generally want to remember that life by organizing a death ceremony. The most common of these ceremonies is a traditional funeral. During these ceremonies we share stories about the passed life and what they meant to us as an individual. The question is why? If you were impacted by this life then talking about it won't usually impact you more. If you come to a death ceremony to learn about a life chances are you won't find a way for that life to impact you enough and you will continue to talk to relatives and friends of that person after the ceremony. So why don't we just move on and let the life pass to its respective afterlife peacefully?

For me I don't need to be reminded of a life. If I was impacted by another person then that impact doesn't magically disappear. Thus I don't feel the need to participate in such ceremonies. Now that doesn't mean that I don't respect that life or hope it passes away peacefully, I do. I just don't feel the need to celebrate a life.

There are lots of sensitive questions and thoughts in this post. My opinions are just that, opinions. They are not necessarily true or wrong. What do you think life and death? Do you believe that each life has a purpose? Should we hang on for each breath? And is there a need for you personally to celebrate death?

To end this series of life and death topics my next post will be about fate and if it can really be changed or predicted. So watch out for Fate: Can we control it? in the next 3 days.

Bye for now,

Superskull85 - The Dark Skull