Thanatophobia
Thanatophobia: the fear of death. It is something that almost everyone fears at one point in their life. Am I going to die? How am I going to die? When am I going to die? Why do I have to die? All in all, death is a very frightening thought. One moment, you are living, moving, and feeling; the next moment, you are forever immobilized, incapable of thoughts or feelings.
I have personally experience this fear of death before during a family trip to Yosemite. At Yosemite, my family and I had stopped to look at a waterfall. At the spot, we were right next to the river as the water fell down. While there, there was a slanted piece of land going right next to the river right. I went there to watch the river when suddenly i began sliding downward toward the river. Because I was wearing flip flops, I could not get a good grip on the gravel-filled ground and I kept sliding. Luckily my mom was right next to me and she helped me up. Although I was 2 or 3 feet from the actually river, the thought of falling into the river and being swept down the waterfall was a thought that stuck in my head all the way to my home. What if I had died?
In "Thanatopsis," by William Cullen Bryant, Bryant takes on a positive outlook toward death. In "Thanatopsis," Bryant describes how when one dies, he returns to nature. By being buried, one becomes forever part of the Earth and helps new life arise. He also points out that when you die, you will not be alone since, "Thou shalt lie down/ With patriarchs of the infant world--with kings,/ The powerful of the earth--the wise, the good..." Overall this reflects his positive image of death and that one should not fear it.
I agree with Bryant on the fact that one should not fear dying; however not for the same reasons. While his are more transcendentalist based, I believe that instead of fearing death, you should go out and enjoy every moment of life until death. Yes, yes, it sounds like YOLO, but it is true. If you spend time fearing death, how will you ever enjoy life while you have it?
Wow, you must have been traumatized by such a horrid experience! Anyway, what you say is all based on situation. Let's say, hypothetically, that you knew how and when you were supposed to die. Would this make you more scared, or would accept it. If I knew that I was going to croak in the middle of English class, I would be terrified. See, the thing is, whatever you have accomplished will never be enough, so death will always create fear because you have realized all the things that you should have done.
ReplyDeleteLOL Sachin, it's cute how you can remember from when you were 2 or 3. Nice connection to the read. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI like how you put in an anecdote! This post was very effective, good job.
ReplyDeleteI love how you connected this topic with a personal story. You are a great writer and a great friend and I agree that people should make most with what they have :)
ReplyDeleteYour title is hilarious!
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