Do We Fear Death?

To die—to sleep,

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;

To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub:

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause...

William Shakespeare, "Hamlet" (3.1.64-98)

"For in the sleep of death what dreams may come..." And, when we finally approach shuffling off this mortal coil, must it give us pause? Do we go quietly into that good night, or rage against it? Do we move toward the light, or not?  Must it give us pause? A recent conversation placed this topic in my mind, and I couldn't shake it. Again, God presented me a topic for a post, in typical fashion, for truly mysterious are His ways.

"I think most of us suffer from fear "of" ignorance, not "from" ignorance.  I doubt these children are ignorant.  It seems children tend to handle death better than adults.  I'm not so sure children fear death inasmuch as they fear the unknown.  Even with faith, the truth of the afterlife still eludes us.  We fear our ignorance.  But that’s just an opinion." 

The above quote is mine and was the gist of my response in that recent conversation.  But, it got me to thinking about our fear of death.  For a child, if death is presented in the context of "the great unknown mystery," would it ease the passing from this plane to the next?  If we knew, with some certainty, what waited for us on the other side, wouldn't that knowledge have more of an effect on this fear of death?  Children do seem to handle death better than adults, but then, maybe it's because they weren't given the chance to experience the fullness which a long life offers.

But, I come back to: Is it really a fear of death, or is it a fear of the unknown?  I mean, we change residences and friends as we move from here to there, across the country and the world.  Moving great distances is a "worrisome" proposition for most of us, more than a scary one.  We usually have some inkling of what is waiting for us, and we know, with some certainty, we will be alright.  If we didn't have any clue what we were getting into the move would almost certainly be scary.

Is it fear of death or fear of the unknown?  If we knew we were going to be alright, if we had concrete proof of an afterlife, we would not have to fear the unknown.  It would be worrisome, for sure, wondering if we took care of everyone, and everything, before we passed to the other side.  This is why, I believe, we don't fear death as much as we fear the unknown surrounding death.  It seems the only time we are truly prepared for death is just before we die.  Is this because we resign ourselves to the inevitability of our death, or do we get some subconscious "spiritual" message telling us there is really nothing to fear?  "Come on in, the water is fine!"

"I've followed you on many adventures...but into the great unknown mystery, I go first, Indy!"

-- Wu Han, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"

I suppose our view of death is a reflection of our life.  If we lived our lives afraid of everything, we would certainly fear the thought of death.  If we lived a life that made us feel death would be preferable, perhaps we'd fear it less.  But, if we woke up every morning in excited expectation of the next great adventure that life was going to throw at us, how exciting would that be?  With such expectation, when death was finally at our doorstep, would we simply view death as a continuation of our daily adventures.

We are born into this world free of original sin, to be ministers and mentors to our brothers and sisters, humanity, and to continue our long and interesting path to wherever it leads.  If we're atheists, the path may take a bit longer; if the atheists are right, maybe they're existence ends at death.  It takes a ticket to ride the bus, and if you don't buy a ticket...  

"How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn't you say?" 

-- Admiral James T. Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

For the theist, on the other hand, how we deal with life has a direct correlation to how well we handle death; how well prepared we are for even the mere possibility our path will continue.  I, for one, am not afraid of death.  I am afraid of dying alone, however.  I'm afraid of losing my friends.  I am not afraid of the "great unknown mystery" of death as much as I am there will be no next great unknown mystery - it will just end; the atheists will be right.  What a solid kick between the legs that would be.  But, what if I'm right?

Regardless of your belief system, I think the life we live along our path on this plane of existence has great bearing on how we approach the end of our journey here.  Whether we are prepared for life here to end, or for the next great adventure to begin, we must conquer our fear of the unknown and learn to embrace the faith we have in "what dreams may come." 

"All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses,
And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier."

-- Walt Whitman

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.