"The Free Man Thinks of Nothing Less Than Death"

Hello, friends, and welcome back to yet another Meaning of Life Blog post. Today's subject: death.

When I was younger, not as wise as I am now, I used to think about death quite often. I remember while on a camping trip with some friends during college, as we sat around the campfire, staring into the flames and contemplating the possible oblivion of death. It was not a pleasant contemplation, and to make matters worse I burnt the Smore I was toasting.

Anyhow, as many have pointed out, death raises the potential that life is meaningless, for how could anything matter if we are all destined to pass away and not exist? Any impact we can have on this planet would be temporary, and eventually the human species will likely become extinct and everything will be gone without a trace. In a way, nothing will have mattered if there is no memory of it.

Now, I do admit there are some problems with this way of thinking. First, we don't know for sure that death is the end. There may be some form of afterlife, or perhaps there is such a thing as rebirth. However, let me ask you this: when you look at an animal, let's say a frog, do you have any confidence that the frog will have some sort of afterlife? Or what about an ape? Most likely you do not think these creatures will exist after death. The question, then, is why are humans any different? We are animals, after all. Of course, people will counter by saying something such as, "But wait! We're human! We have minds! We have souls!" To that I would counter, who cares that we have minds? Why does that mean we get to live after death and a horse doesn't? Some would say it's not that we have minds but that we have souls, some sort of non-physical "self," which is generally tied to a religious worldview but not necessarily. To the idea that we have some sort of non-physical, spiritual self, I would say, um, I'm not so sure about that.

Anyway, let's just go with what I was saying and assume death is the end (and in general it's best to just agree with me). Even if it is the end, it is possible that there is some sort of meaning. However, it's difficult to see what it could be and this causes a certain amount of anxiety. Concerning this sense of worry, let's turn to Pema Chodron, a wise Buddhist monk who has this to say...

"We're always trying to deny that it's a natural occurrence that things change, that the sand is slipping through our fingers. Time is passing. It's as natural as the seasons changing and day turning into night. But getting old, getting sick, losing what we love - we don't see those events as natural occurrences. We want to ward off that sense of death, no matter what. Fear of death is the background of the whole thing. It's why we feel restless, why we panic, why there's anxiety. But if we totally experience hopelessness, giving up all hope of alternatives to the present moment, we can have a joyful relationship with our lives, an honest, direct relationship, one that no longer ignores the reality of impermanence and death."

According to our friend Pema, then, by truly admitting that things are impermanent, by giving up hope that there's an afterlife or some lasting security or even a meaning, we can start to relax and have a more honest experience. I see where she's coming from, but yet that part of me is still there, the part that wants things to matter in some way, even if death is the end. Should I give up the search and learn to accept things as they are without wondering if it means something? If so, then this blog would end, and I know you don't want that, so for your sake's I will press on.

Anyway, I'm tired now. Good night, friends.