Into the Light: Sentiments on Death

A while ago, a friend of mine expressed their sentiments on death. I think the Peter Pan quote summed it up quite nicely: “Death would be an awfully big adventure.” At the time I couldn’t quite understand their logic. How could death be a big adventure? What could one possibly attain from an infinite period of non-existence?

I think the reason for my lack of understanding was my narrow-minded approach. I’d considered death to be something we could scientifically quantify. I guess it was the cynic in me coming out. Just because non-existence is the most probable, rational, logical and realistic result of death, doesn’t mean that’s the way it will be. Who can prove what happens after we die? An obvious question isn’t it. 

So while non-existence seems the most likely, it might not be the case. That, to me is awfully exciting. One’s imagination could spend hours contemplating the many possible outcomes of death, all more fantastic or horrible than the last. In expressing my excitement, don’t mistake this for suicidal tendencies. Just because I welcome the adventure death brings, doesn’t mean I want to go and top myself. I have a lot of things left to do and accomplish while my body still sends electrical signals. Not to mention, life is a pretty big adventure already. Look at it this way; would you start playing Assassin’s Creed 2 before you finish with Assassin’s Creed?

The religious types out there believe that through death, they can achieve paradise. I myself am not religious, but lets just pretend for a second that this is true. If through death, one can get to their interpretation of paradise, then what is there to be afraid of? Now the obvious answer is that religious buffs feel they have more to achieve in the material world before they venture into the spiritual one. It could also be the fear of leaving those they love behind. This is cause to be sad, but hardly fear. It would be disappointing not to do all those things, but compared to the alternative, I'd be absolutely excited!

Regardless, I don't think Heaven and Hell are all they're cracked up to be. Irrespective of what mono-theistic religion you follow (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), they all have some kind of after-life in which you can spend an eternity in happiness. Provided of course, you follow the stringent code of your chosen religion. Heaven and Hell are the same thing. Initially, the experience would be quite different, I'll grant. In Heaven, one would be free to do what they wished, while in Hell, you'd be a slave to the devil, doing his bidding as he wished. While these two realms seem quite different from one another, bear in mind, you're spending an eternity here. Would it be safe to say that in life, if you're exposed to the same thing for an extended period of time, it becomes a normality, and a sense of apathy develops? Just think about when you buy a new car. At first, it's an extremely exciting proposition, and you have an increased amount of endorphins released in your brain. However, as time goes on, these endorphins decrease, and your 'new' car becomes a normality. I believe Heaven and Hell would be exactly like this. An eternity of the same thing over and over again would be utterly mundane. I bet the people in Heaven and praying for a day trip to the hot spas of Hell.

All in all, death isn’t something to be afraid of. It seems most young adults fear leaving this world, but they shouldn’t. Death is easy, it’s hard for those you leave behind.