Why do people fear death? Why does it matter what happens when we die?

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   The Demon Writerposted 13 years ago

   I accept death as a fact of life. I am not sure what happens  when we die, although I have my ideas. I do not fear death in the slightest. I know that it will happen at any moment and I should just enjoy life. Why is it that people fear death at all? Sorry if I haven't worded this well, but I tried my best:)

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      Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It matters a lot if you think that when you die you are going to burn in eternal hellfire, experiencing unspeakable agony and torment over a span of time so unfathomable there is no way to comprehend the magnitude of the unyielding pain.
      
      If you believe in that, then you have something to fear. You have to live your life to appease the God that inflicts that kind of torture on his children.
      
      If you don't believe in that sort of thing, if you just think we croak and our essential nutrients and compounds re-enter the system, then you have no need to fear Death. 
      
      People like that tend to fear dying, not death.  The pain, the sadness, the fear, that's what most people fear.  Not the being dead part.

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   foreignpressposted 13 years ago

   There is something within us that propels us to keep living. That's why dying people struggle for every last breath. That's why we keep fighting to live against overwhelming odds. It's instinctive. And it's why we've survived as a species. To simply succumb to death is not in the nature of humans -- nor of any animal that I know of. I've even met some who have laughed at Death -- and have lived to tell about it.

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      pennyofheavenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I agree. Perhaps it is not always because they fear death or eternal hell. Perhaps people struggle for their last breath simply because that is the way the body is designed.

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   livelongerposted 13 years ago

   I agree - we're programmed to fear and avoid death. Fear of death is an evolutionary advantage.
   
   Beyond that, it's fear of the unknown, I suppose.

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