The path to Tranquility (spring)
68. No need to fear death
Our lives originate from nothingness and will eventually return to nothingness. This is part of the law of nature and the essence of death. Nature uses this to motivate us to fulfill our mission and realize our value. Therefore, we often face danger. However, our self-consciousness far exceeds other lives, so we fear death even more.
All fear stems from the fear of death. For example, fear of the unknown comes from the fear of danger, and fear of losing control comes from the fear of losing one's life. Even the fear of losing a loved one comes from the fear of being alone and unable to face reality. Danger, loss of life, or the inability to face reality all mean death. The fear of death has become our habit, but this fear cannot prepare us to better cope with the crises of modern society.
In our lives, we often witness or encounter accidents related to casualties. We may often recall these experiences or pay attention to similar events, which reflect our fear of death. Death is the end of life, a mysterious and unknown realm, and the fear of death is understandable. However, even if no one knows the truth of death, we can still be sure that death is part of the journey of life. Only by bravely facing death can we fully embrace life. Moreover, fear cannot keep us away from death, and sometimes it even has the opposite effect. When we lose our consciousness due to fear, our lives become more dangerous.
Fear not only reflects our lack of awareness of the environment, but also is a negative emotion that will become an obstacle in our lives. For example, if we are very afraid of heights, it will be difficult to overlook from a high place, which will cause various inconveniences in life. If a fire breaks out one day and we need to descend from a high-rise building to the ground through a fire escape, it will be a big challenge for us. If in a very critical situation we need to climb down from a high place with our bare hands, because of the fear of heights, our escape route will become extremely difficult.
We should focus on how to live and how to live longer, but fear is of no help. You can think like this, yesterday passed through difficulties and crises, and today is still going well, so tomorrow should be able to live safely, we can rest assured. Although accidents continue to occur, we are still alive. This shows that we not only have perseverance, but are also blessed by nature. If we can look at death from this perspective, our mentality will be more positive and fear will be reduced. This is not the courage brought by blind optimism, but the wisdom and strength derived from rational thinking.
We can think further. Life will age, but if it will not die, then extreme aging is a cruelty to life. Therefore, death is nature's kindness to life. Also because of death, we have a sense of mission to solve death, and we will look for eternal belonging. Only by knowing the fragility and limitations of life, we can truly understand how to take care of ourselves and others, and thereby connect together to make life healthier and longer.
Another example to think about is that sometimes seeing news about plane crashes will make us fear flying and death. But in fact, the probability of a plane crash is much lower than other forms of transportation. If we want to avoid death, our lives will become extremely unstable, and even difficult to sleep. Because most people die in bed, if we are afraid of going to bed, we will not be able to sleep. However, we are afraid of planes but not afraid of beds, which shows that our awareness of flying is not enough.
The most effective way to overcome fear is to increase our awareness of our environment and ourselves, and to always pay attention to our own lives. For example, to overcome the fear of heights, we not only need to overcome the fear of heights emotionally, but we also need to observe the specific environment, such as the height and safety measures, and accurately assess the risks. When we are sure we are in a safe place, our fear of heights will also lessen. At the same time, we must also develop emergency response capabilities and rehearse critical situations in advance so that we can better protect ourselves when danger strikes. By increasing our confidence in dealing with circumstances, we can effectively overcome our fears.
Putting life first means we are prepared to deal with the dangers life throws at us. Everyone will die eventually. However, approaching death calmly without fear is like ascending to heaven, while being entangled in fear until death is like falling into hell. Therefore, it is enough to deal with the present with consciousness, we do not need to fear death.
67. Enjoying the journey of life to the fullest
69. Courage to accept the test of adversity
