Should we fear death or should it be a celebration of a complete lifetime? – Aryan Kurungode
Death is but another stage of life which we all must embrace; It is the finish line to a long, beautiful, treacherous and painful race which we all must endure and partake in. Everyone has their own way of going but must go nonetheless. Like the way the sun rises and falls every passing day, so does human life. In this vast and ancient Earth, it has come and gone countless times, you are not the first to die, and you will certainly not be the last. The question then arises, how do people react and respond to the inevitable?
The way I see it, after death, every life has been completed; Each story has come to its end, regardless of someone’s aspirations, goals, plans or targets. However, when approaching the idea of death, one must consider the fact that it is a tremendous and overwhelming force, like a great wave, that we all must succumb to. Perhaps the power that individuals give to the idea of death comes from the fear that it can happen before their purpose and goals in life have been ‘fulfilled’. But I now put this forward: what does it mean to live a fulfilled life?
Let me briefly digress to answer this question. The idea of a ‘fulfilled’ life is one that is ever-evolving and certainly not of universal congruence. Across and throughout time and different cultures and regions, the concept of the ideal life has consisted of different goals amongst a plethora of different people. The point is that the society, culture and environment we construct our entire lives upon are the very things that dictate the ideology behind what people want out of life, therefore meaning that there is no actual ‘set of goals’ that each individual must accomplish to reach a point where they are comfortable with death. Once we can free ourselves from the suffocating and limiting expectations from our society, we can begin to live life through a lens that allows us to improve ourselves and carry out our beliefs while embracing the idea of death; For fearing something that is out of our control makes us slaves to the idea of chasing something that we cannot reach, which avoiding death.
A life filled with happiness is always better than spending a lifetime trying to have a ‘good’ death. We all eventually succumb to the great wave, but everyone should aim to be content with themselves at the time it comes to engulf us. I end this message with this thought: In what case should death not be a celebration, or at least acknowledgement, of a complete lifetime?
From, Areeb.
Wow, such a thoughtful piece of writing, Areeb. I really enjoyed reading this. I like the depth of thought and reflection, and the way you’re open to considering a number of possibilities here. I especially liked the lines “Perhaps the power that individuals give to the idea of death comes from the fear that it can happen before their purpose and goals in life have been ‘fulfilled’.” Very powerful – thank you for sharing!