The fear of death – thanatophobia – is ubiquitous and shared by just about every living sentient being on the face of the earth. Even the tiniest of creatures start running for cover when their “safe place”, whatever that might be, is disturbed.
It’s something of a conundrum that if that fear did not exist, you probably would not even have been born to experience it in the first place. Without the instinctive fear of not existing, none of our earliest ancestors would have survived long enough for evolution to stand a chance of creating creatures with the conscious fear of it.
Those ancestors would have strolled over the edge of cliffs, fallen off mountains, plunged into roaring torrents, ignored the predator with the claws and teeth until eventually only the predators with the claws and teeth were left. And then, of course, they would have predated on each other until there was only one left. No future there, then.
Of course, that’s a flawed and rather silly argument! The first creatures were around in such quantities they were easily replenished if they died. But that would mean, again, that by the time more complicated life formed, it came complete with the instinct to survive.
It’s more than just an inherited instinct in the human animal though. It’s a driving force that has given rise to all manner of religions promising an afterlife, so horrified are we about the idea of not existing.
And even that is not enough for some – they must believe that we have a past life as well, and even a between lives life, so there’s no need to contemplate not existing at all.
It has to be said that as instincts go, this one does have some distinctly odd qualities. For instance, many people who are afraid of death are less afraid of being dead. And even though they might not realise it, if most people knew that everybody in the world was going to die at the same time, their fear would become markedly less intense.
It can be overwhelming for many but not everybody has it.
There are those who seldom think about death and when they do, just accept the inevitability that if there is an ‘afterwards’ they will find out all about it in good time and if there isn’t… well, they won’t. They are happy in their life.
There are others who defeat the fear by believing fervently that when they die they will go to wherever their religious belief promises, maybe following a set of rules and rituals that somebody once stated were essential for entry. They are also happy in their life.
But here’s something to think about, that if you allow it fully into your deepest thoughts can have a remarkable effect upon that fear of death, if you have it. And will just be an awesome thought if you don’t.
It is a great truth that you are an actual part of the universe, a part of everything that ever was, and a part of everything that ever will be. Every atom in every part of your body was once stardust, just as is everything and everybody on planet Earth.
And It is a fact that there are seven billion billion billion atoms that combine to make up your body, atoms of matter that have existed since the beginning of time, long before the creation of the planet Earth, long before there were any planets at all, in fact, when there were no worlds and no people.
Those atoms are almost a part of time itself, and they eventually were to become part of the Earth, and then, not so very long ago in the great scheme of things, they combined to become a part of you.
And you can guarantee that those seven billion billion billion atoms are arranged in a unique order meaning that you genuinely are a unique individual, just as we all are. You are here, all seven billion billion billion atoms of you, with the amazing ability to do all manner of unique things that you probably take for granted.
If there is a creator, then they did a fantastic job of creating everything that led to the world being the place for you to exist for as long as they have decided should be your turn on the merry go round of life. Make the most of your trip.
If there is no plan, nothing more mystical than the passage of evolution over billions of years, then you are the result of all that has gone before you and an essential part of all that follows. Become part of it and find a life purpose to create beneficial change – people with a life purpose life longer anyway, perhaps to allow them time to fulfil their objectives.
None of us can know for sure what happens after we have lived out our time here. But it is almost a magical thing to be alive in the first place, whatever your belief about it all. It is a magic that certainly should not be wasted worrying about what happens after you’ve done your bit.
Terence Watts is the creator of Brain Working Recursive Therapy (BWRT).