The Human Race and the Fear of Death

Tick tock

The time in which we live on Earth is limited. We learn, we work, we change, we do everything we can to secure we live life to the fullest. We do all of this and so much more before the biggest event of our life.

Tick tock

Death.

Just writing that inflicted a feeling of anxiety inside me, and I assume reading it would do something similar to you. Death is a topic that is hugely avoided in conversation, which may seem obvious as inflicts a feeling of depression in most people, but it is one of the most important parts of life.

Our fear of death and the effects it has on us is discussed in depth in Hidden Brain’s September 26, 2019 episode, “Death And The Great Beyond: How We Grapple With The Idea Of Dying.”

Sheldon Solomon introduces himself on the show to bring his Terror Management Theory into light. Solomon explains the concept; the fear of death drives a range of human responses without anyone realizing it, our strong mental defenses ensure this. For example, Solomon conducted an experiment with a group of judges. They were presented with a hypothetical situation of a prostitute caught in court and were asked what bail amount they would give. The control group gave an average bail of $50. The group that was reminded of their mortality, gave a higher bail of $455.

Death is a part of our culture. When a sensitive area of our culture is touched on, especially an area we choose to completely avoid, we feel the need to retaliate. This is shown at an extreme level with the judges. After being forced to think about our mortality a bail nine times higher than the average bail for the offense was given.

Truthfully, our existential anxieties are not due to the fear of death, but the fear of the thought of death. We are able to imagine dying, but we are incapable of imaging being dead. This concept is referred to as the mortality paradox.

There are four immortality narratives: rejuvenation, resurrection, reincarnation, and the search for fame. The soul, which is a massive reassurance for many, finds itself under some of the narratives. The belief of a soul spans across the world, 71% of Americans believe, around 60% of the British and Germans believe, 90% of Indians believe, and about 100% of Nigerians believe.

There are two problems that can be found with every narrative. First, we seek immortality, but we don’t know what to do with it. We hate the idea of dying so much, but we don’t want to live forever. There comes a point where dying is a reality, and that isn’t so scary. What’s tear-jerking is the thought of something so out of our hands coming when we don’t know.

Another problem is that we see death as a problem that needs to be solved. Death isn’t necessarily a problem, it’s a part of life. And even if death was a problem, we can’t solve it, we can’t do anything to change it or fix our fate. It’s inevitable.

In Hidden Brain, the podcast was concluded around a quote from the Greek philosopher Epicurus, “When I am here, death is not. When death is here, I am not. Therefore, I don’t have to worry about dying.” With this statement Epicurus is attempting to reassure everyone of death while also admitting the fear exists. He took a surprising stance of drawing a thick line between the state of being alive and dead, a line most try to dance around, such as those who strongly believe in a soul.

We’re going to die. It’s a part of life, a part of a never-ending cycle. Despite death being something so normal, we’ve made it something so abnormal, so unspeakable. Yet it has this power over us, to change the way we think and act.

So, what is death? What happens when we die? Let’s talk about it.