Death and the rational mind

"As I walked through the valley of Death, I shall fear no evil because I am the meanest SOB in it."

- WWII US Marine Corps fighter squadron's unofficial prayer

Isn't it quite morbid for someone, namely me, who is basking in the glory of youth to be talking about something which seems so distant away for many a young man? It would not however seem so morbid if you think about how much death surrounds us. Three years ago on this faithful day more than 5000 lives were extinguished, and just a few days ago there was yet another terroist attack on the Australian embassy in Indonesia. While the latter incident seemed close to home, nothing brings home the point more than a close shave with death, of which I have the privilege to experience thanks to my close friend Louis.

After an enjoyable squash game, we set off on his car to look for some good makan to fill our empty stomachs. This being the first time I was being driven by him, I was suitably apprehensive. However, seeing how he was being so comfortably reckless (for I believe that a confident reckless driver can only be skillful) I became more relaxed. However after we topped up the fuel tank in Bukit Timah road, we planned to head towards Adam road. Therefore we made a U-turn into Dunearn road... And straight into the path of a speeding car. As that car made a hard and noisy emergency brake (probably with a smattering of Hokkien vulgarities), and before the close shave has sunk in. My dear friend, probably just as shell shocked as me, then panicked. Which means speeding away from the scene at a speed that is best not mentioned. It was then when I realised how easily I could have gotten my life snuffed out in a moment of carelessness, and at how fragile life is.

What is there to fear about death? Everyone has to face it sometime in their lives. You can run away from the Grim Reaper, but in the end there is no hiding away from it. Some may say that it is actually the fear of the pain that is associated with dying. I think pain actually makes you feel more alive. Ask any soldier; they love pain since that means you are not dead yet. After all, there are many painless way to die. Does it make death any less scary? Apparently not.

In my humble opinion, death is such a daunting prospect because we lose the thing which makes us so special: consciousness. When we die, we become non-existant, as in a sense we no longer are. Various religions have various explanations to what happens to you after death, ranging from eternal damnation to eternal bliss. What they all have in common though, is a comforting thought that your consciousness will continue on. That there will still be a you. I believe though that life is but an accident of nature and so are we. The most likely truth is that even if you leave behind a legacy, it matters not. You will not be aware of it.

Does it mean that people should now despair? Most definitely not. What we should do is be grateful to have lived, not sadden by the fact that we are going to die. Don't you consider it a blessing to have known for once that you have existed compared to beings that have not or could not? When you are not aware that you have lived, what difference does it make to live or die?

Quote of the day

" Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not."

-Epicurus (341 BC - 270 BC), from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers