I think of death twice daily: Soon after my wake-up time in the morning and after taking stock of the day’s work, before going to bed at night. This reminds me of the reality of life and how to make every day worthwhile and meaningful.
This also makes one ponder over the intensity and pain of the fear and feeling of death. In turn, one tends to be humble and reasonable in one’s way of life, besides making one look for ways as to how to overcome it or minimise its fear.
One can say there are many ways to defeat the fear of death. Since death is as sure as sunset, what is the use of getting scared of it? Since you are aware that death will come and you are not aware of the permanence of life through pure consciousness, you are always scared of death.
Liberation from the scare of death involves several steps. Or, in a simpler way, one can say there are several ways. We can go through the three more practical and obvious ones. First, there is no escape from death and hence one can ‘negotiate’ with death by using one’s reasoning to accept life as it is. When you accept death as inevitable, you tend to ‘welcome’ it as and when it is about to happen. However, one can always hasten or delay one’s death to some extent, depending on one’s will power and style of life. This view is contrary to the traditional and religious thoughts that one can’t control the timings of the arrival of death. Be sure, one can. But not forever. Maybe, in the near future, that too may become a possibility.
Second, one who can understand one’s psychic consciousness— the light within — one can realise that death is not the end. In fact, it the beginning of a new phase, maybe a better one. If you understand this aspect of your life, then death has to be a welcome invitation to a better life hereafter.
Third, this method is for those who have a firm belief in God as their main pilot in life. Since they believe that they are a creation of God and that God is within them, any event that happens in their lives is with the will and consent of God. So, why to worry and get scared of death?
Of course, these are easier said than done. But if one gets into the spirit of poet John Donne, it is very well possible for most of us. You need to realise its necessity as a means to a better life even in normal cases. For those who have to struggle to live so painfully, death should come as a great saviour, a friend in need, indeed. For those who challenge it, and have Donne’s way of defying it, it is a warrior’s way to conquer death. But when you welcome it smilingly as many ‘liberated’ ones can do, death loses much of its meaning and importance.
And, as someone had said, we should not be afraid of death as it would be giving it too much of honour!
-HT
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