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The fear of death is like an uninvited guest at a party - nobody invited him, but he keeps showing up to ruin the mood. But it's completely normal: we all have to deal with our mortality sooner or later. But why exactly does death make us so nervous?
Why do we fear death?
Death is the only guarantee that life gives us. Yet we like to suppress it as if it were a subscription that we can simply cancel at some point. Our culture, our environment and our psyche all contribute to how we deal with this inevitability. For some, death is a philosophical question, for others a deep abyss - and for some, it is simply "impractical".
Fear and Mortality: A Toxic Relationship
The fear of death is like an invisible hand that constantly tampers with our lives. It influences our decisions, our relationships and our priorities. While some people, out of fear of mortality, work through their to-do lists as if there was a prize for having "accomplished everything", others succumb to repression and ignore the issue completely.
Religions and philosophies have been grappling with the question “What comes next?” for thousands of years, but honestly, no one has a truly convincing answer.
Childhood and early imprinting
Children learn early on that everything ends at some point - whether it's their favorite toy that breaks or the goldfish that ends up in the toilet. How parents and those around them deal with death and loss shapes their view of their own mortality. A child who experiences loss early on often carries these experiences through life like an invisible backpack. Some of these backpacks weigh heavily.
Types of Fear of Death
There is not “one” fear of death, but a whole buffet of them:
The fear of one's own death : What comes after? And how bad will it be?
The fear of losing others : The thought of losing loved ones often hits us harder than our own mortality.
The existential fear : What if there really is nothing? The great nothingness sometimes feels scarier than a horror film.
How Fear of Death Affects Life
The fear of death is a creative motivator: it lets us pursue careers, collect Instagram followers and even run marathons - the main thing is that we feel alive. But for some it becomes a burden: panic attacks, depression or the feeling of never doing enough are often silent companions.
To escape fear, we seek control: over our bodies, our environment, or our destiny. Spoiler: It never fully works.
Dealing with the Fear of Death
Acceptance : Death is as much a part of life as icing on a cake – it makes it complete. It sounds cheesy, but it helps.
Therapy : Whether systemic, cognitive or simply an honest conversation – professional help can alleviate fear.
Rituals and reflection : A journal, meditation, or a walk in the cemetery (yes, really) can help you make peace with mortality.
Humor : Taking death seriously is okay, but making fun of it occasionally is even better.
Death as a Part of Life
Many people who have had near-death experiences report peace and light. Regardless of whether this can be explained scientifically or not, it shows that death may be less dramatic than we think.
Our awareness of our own finiteness can also help us live more consciously. Those who know that the curtain will fall at some point will enjoy the play all the more.
Conclusion: Death – the finale that forces us to live
The fear of death is human. But it doesn't have to determine our lives. Ultimately, it's about making the most of the time we have. Each of us is unique - 8 billion individuals, and there will never be anyone exactly like you.
So, leave the fear of death on the wardrobe door and live as if there were no tomorrow – because at some point, that really is the case.
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