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I'm not so sure I could ever bring myself to appreciate death.....at least not those caused by accidents or murderous intent. But I do realize that death is a natural and inevitable part of life that may allow us to have a deeper appreciation and understanding of life. Yet, as Epicurus once said: “Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.”
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I'm not so sure I could ever bring myself to appreciate death.....at least not those caused by accidents or murderous intent. But I do realize that death is a natural and inevitable part of life that may allow us to have a deeper appreciation and understanding of life. Yet, as Epicurus once said: “Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.”
I've read some of the other responses on this thread and it seems that this sentiment is at least partially reflected here. For instance, a few people have chosen to go to funerals of friends' deceased loved ones not necessarily out of any concern or occupation with the death involved, but merely out of support for their friends.
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I like how you say "Or at least we don't know it is." I believe that's true, especially because there are traditional ways of coping with death; it's hard to see clearly about our feelings towards it. I know that many people do appreciate it and see it more closely to what it is, and not what majorities have claimed it to be. I think that death...aging, time, decay....makes life authentic. Perhaps the tears and heartache of death show the appreciation of life, of how much we love it and cherish its preciousness, that we are sad to let it go. We can't experience the same instance twice. It's like we're getting closer and closer to the equilibrium, but never really getting there. I think that that is our mortality. If we were immortals, we would reach that equilibrium and experience the same things and not cherish them...why cherish them if we could experience them again?
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I like how you say "Or at least we don't know it is." I believe that's true, especially because there are traditional ways of coping with death; it's hard to see clearly about our feelings towards it. I know that many people do appreciate it and see it more closely to what it is, and not what majorities have claimed it to be. I think that death...aging, time, decay....makes life authentic. Perhaps the tears and heartache of death show the appreciation of life, of how much we love it and cherish its preciousness, that we are sad to let it go. We can't experience the same instance twice. It's like we're getting closer and closer to the equilibrium, but never really getting there. I think that that is our mortality. If we were immortals, we would reach that equilibrium and experience the same things and not cherish them...why cherish them if we could experience them again?
(I'm a mortal so I can't suggest such things, but it makes sense to me ;p )
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Death is a natural part of life but I sure don't appreciate it. Death scares the sh*t out of me. Maybe I'm too young to appreciate it, I don't know.
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Death is a natural part of life but I sure don't appreciate it. Death scares the sh*t out of me. Maybe I'm too young to appreciate it, I don't know.
I hate funerals and wish they didn't happen. I've only been to three of them, and they just made me sadder. I didn't feel any type of closure. Seeing the lifeless body is terrible. When my godmother died, she didn't have a funeral so I just told her goodbye in my thoughts and that was my closure. It was much easier. Then again I haven't experienced anyone SUPER close to me dying, so maybe in that situation I'd appreciate a funeral, but I doubt it.
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I will go to a funeral if a loved one of a good friend dies. I do it in support of the friend, not out of respect for the dead person. I personally won't be having one.
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I don't know that I agree with your premise. I think that death is appreciated. The idea of living forever (at least in this physical form) doesn't appeal to me at all. I also think about how crowded the world would be. Death is part of the cycle of life. Everything that lives must also die.
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I don't know that I agree with your premise. I think that death is appreciated. The idea of living forever (at least in this physical form) doesn't appeal to me at all. I also think about how crowded the world would be. Death is part of the cycle of life. Everything that lives must also die.
There are people who are freaked out by death, but I know many more people who are much more scared by how they are going to die than they are by death themselves. For myself, I'm not scared of death at all, but the idea that I could be in great pain, or be totally dependent on others for my care, or become demented is really scary.
As for funerals, they are a way for the living to remember the person who has passed and to say good-bye one last time. Grieving is an important part of coping with loss, and a funeral is one way to begin to accept the fact that someone has died. A doctor friend of mine pointed out that grief must have some sort of benefit, because all humans grieve and it isn't something that has disappeared over time. I have attended more than one funeral where I didn't have pure love for the deceased, but I was there to support those who were still living and who were grieving.
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Everything in the universe dies including the universe itself. With a rule so evenly applied you'd think we could get comfortable with it and yes, even appreciate it.
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People go to funerals because it's usually the last time they see the deceased. It gives people some sort of "closure".
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Mum was in a lotta pain. So much that she told me often, that if she got "close" she was just gonna go. Well, she got close & went. I am happy she is pain-free now, but I miss her dreadfully.
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You apparently haven't read the Baha'i scriptures. I quote:
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You apparently haven't read the Baha'i scriptures. I quote:
"O SON OF THE SUPREME!"
"I have made death a messenger of joy to thee; wherefore dost thou grieve?
"I have made the light to shine upon thee its splendor; why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?"
--"The Hidden Words," Part One, #32
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I don't know what you mean by "appreciate." Talking about humans dying, I don't see any reason to appreciate my loved ones passing. I go to funerals for the deceased's family more than the dead body. I don't see the point in crying over their coffin.
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I don't know what you mean by "appreciate." Talking about humans dying, I don't see any reason to appreciate my loved ones passing. I go to funerals for the deceased's family more than the dead body. I don't see the point in crying over their coffin.
Death is something that I admire and loathe. Death isn't something I linger over much because I'm alive now. Why waste time thinking/talking about death if I'm not suicidal? I don't believe in heaven or hell. Death has no glory for me.
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It's natural to wonder about death. It happens. I do my best to love everyone. Love is good
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I appreciate death... Without it the world would be one hugely screwed up mess.
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