HOW DOES THE REALITY OF DEATH GIVE OUR LIVES MEANING?
written by KAYLA POWER
edited by VIRGINIA BIFFEN
artwork by TOM C
We are all going to die. It’s inevitable. Whether it happens today, tomorrow, or miles into the future, we will all eventually take our last breath and depart earth. It begs the question, why is death, something that is inescapable, so engulfing l that it makes people shape their lives around this event? What makes it such an important and terrorising experience that people will avoid it at all costs? Is it the pain? Is it the heartache of leaving your loved ones? Or is it the fear of the unknown, the fear of not knowing what happens afterwards? In this article, I will be exploring how death shapes how we live our lives, and whether we should live in the past or present, and why.
For some, death may be a wake-up call, a call for action. Knowing we will die someday is a startling acknowledgement, but a crucial one. It forces people to prioritise things that are important in life - this could be friends, family, or pursuing a dream career. It encourages people to make choices, instead of living in denial with no real path or direction to go towards.
A common phrase used to describe this is ‘YOLO’- you only live once. I’m sure we’ve all heard this slogan pasted on hats or screamed before someone jumps off a high cliff into some rock pools. However, this phrase holds a lot more meaning than first perceived. The notion that we only live once and that we only have one life encourages a lot of people to live life to the fullest, to take risks and live life authentically. While this can be extremely beneficial to our mental health especially, it can also be quite dangerous, forcing people to take risks or make hazardous decisions. Though living this way can be thrilling and exhilarating, many don’t enjoy this type of lifestyle and choose to live their life with a calmer and safer state of mind.
While there is nothing wrong with playing it safe, constantly worrying about death and fretting about the dangers of life may hold you back from living life to the fullest. Many people let the idea of death and the unknown restrict them from achieving what they really love, and this is when a problem arises. You may be wondering, why is this an issue? Surely living cautiously can only benefit you, only help keep you safe, and prolong your life. However, to what extent are you willing to waste your life or throw away opportunities on a basis of anxiety and fear? This mainly applies to practical elements of life, but fear can also manifest itself into our behaviour and thoughts. An example of this is with people who have Thanatophobia, which is an intense fear of death or the act of dying. Thanatophobia is an anxiety disorder and people who experience it usually excessively worry about dying to the point where it interferes with their life - even thinking about death scares them.
An opposing side to the idea of how people live their lives is when people have a definite idea of when they are going to die. In a way, it gives someone an incentive, a drive, to make their last moments on earth a good one as they may want their life to be meaningful and fulfilling. On the contrary, does acquiring the knowledge of the approximate time of your death render your life pointless?
A book I read called ‘They Both Die At The End’ really was the trigger for my thoughts on this notion. . The book centres around these two boys who find out they are both going to die by the end of the day. It focuses on how they spend their last day on earth, zooming in on themes of not taking life for granted and living in the present: not regretting past mistakes, but also not worrying about what you wish you had time to do.
Moving forward, the topic of living in the present is frequently talked about one, however, many people don’t actually take it into practice. A lot of people fixate on their past actions, wishing they could have done something differently or acted in a different way when there is nothing anyone can do to change it. What’s in the past is gone and over with, so why do so many people wish to change their actions. On the other hand, many also obsess and overthink about things that have not taken place, conversations they’re going to have, or how things are going to play out in the future. I am definitely guilty of this, and while it can be quite harmless, it could also be a source of major stress, hypertension or a sort of self-sabotage behaviour.
Instead of fretting about the future or ruminating about the past, living in the present can help us live more significant and relevant lives. It enables us to enjoy and be grateful for what is happening in the present moment, and lets us live a happier, more optimistic life. It is also a huge stress reliever and helps us discover more about ourselves and who we are. I know it sounds a lot easier than it might be to actually pull it off, but an effort should always be made.
Now, I implore you to think about who you want to be, and what you want to dictate your life. Don’t let death define who you are, don’t let the fear of dying decree what you do in life or the choices you make. Think about the mark you want to make and how you want to be remembered. How do you want to live your life?