Why Do Humans Fear Death?

Why do humans fear death? Is this a condition that exists in all life or merely in sentient life? If you could be immortal would you? What are your views in how human beings overcome death?

Humans fear death, because they want things to be permanent, try to grasp something that will never have death, that will always look over them, hence God was created. They are scared that eventually everything they do...will mean nothing, that they will become a statistic in this world like the rest of the dead people.

If I could be immortal, I wouldnt choose to be...a man can only bare so much pain. For how many times can you watch your son die, your family burn, wars continue, and everyone just living for some green paper?
I wouldnt mind increasing human capacity, but if only I was immortal in the world...I would never choose it. Eventually I would want the sufferring to end.

Human beings overcome death by believing in an after-life, that after this "world" there is more to experience, so death is just a stage, a stop....not "the end" of everything.

Other life can fear death, but they can not contemplate death. Animals fear death, like if an animal is on fire, he will run franticly and try to extinguish the fire, so he doesnt die. But, they can not contemplate death...like most children around the ages of 8-12 begin to realize and contemplate death. Children get scared around this age, that their parents life-time is limited, and it may someday end. This is the beginning when they begin to realize and contemplate death.

i guess there a few factors that comes into being here
1.fear of unknown, what happens when someone dies, or what would happen when i will die? (still we are searching for a definitive scientific answer)
2. emracing change: we all know that change is the only thing thats constant but still we look for permanency and stability everywhere despite living in the dynamic ever changing universe. I dont want things to be constant otherwise, life would be so boring and a drag.

as far as immortality is concerned..never thought of it but i guess i would like to go with the perspective that slkh has made above here...its too much of a suffering to endure for a human being.
and even if we go as per sikhi all our gurus when their time came left their physical bodies, as they say that when a person dies "ki oh poora ho gaya hai",(meaning a person gets completed when He dies..
and i guess death is the ultimate reality..why to overcome it? and yeah efforts are there to increase the life span and suffering but overcoming death seems like a farfetched idea..may be creating your clone or freezing the dna and again creating a new human being when the previous body dies (just a thought)..

very well said Ji

Dhan jio teh ko, mukh te har, chit mein judh bicharey

Dear Khalsa Ji,

Most, but not all humans fear death.

The fear is caused by the sure loss of attachments to which the human is bound in her or his life.

Those who have seen through the game of Maya and got over the attachments, do not fear death.

With love and respect for all.

Amarpal Singh

Pray Truth for all and say Satsriakal!
It changes only.
There is nothing that is perishable.

We only forget that all is Godly. God is also HIS Sargun Swaroop. God is not perishable

Khoji Ji has referred a wonderful Shabad from Gurbani.
"jo upji-o so binasi hai paro aaj kai kaal."

The word 'binasi' is the combination of 'bin' and 'asi'. 'Bin' means without and 'asi' means being, happening or bechancing.
The Gurmukhi word 'binasi' points that, which was bechancing, is now without a happening. 'Binasi' does not mean the complete destruction of a thing as normally understood from dictionaries.

It is interesting to observe that all fears are for results to happen in the future.
All those who fear death have not come to know death. For them death is in the future.
In reality death always comes to beings in the present.

Most of the people live with fear of death in future.

The Guru's Vaak explains this in a sahaj way.
"jo upji-o so binasi hai paro aaj kai kaal." SGGS page 1429
That which comes to be (embodied) changes to(o) without being by falling in time of today (present).

To realize the immortality, one needs the experience of complete silence where nothing changes.
This is possible easiest with Simran.

People fear death because they are not blessed with Simran.

Do you remember why our Gurus did not fear death?

Love.


Balbir Singh

people fear death , because, in this time, in the modern world, it is just modern world, and it is too late to become pure like the gurus. Unless you live by your self in a desert or a place or country where nothing exists, and u live soooo naturally and pure....and meditate everyday....for all ur years....thts wen ur listening ot the truth. We fear that we have not done alot. We are scared of things that we have not experienced before. We get scared because we think we know god, and we think we going to survive if we just know god, but that is not enough, you have to act, and belive in god. Everything in this life is hard......unless u lived like the sikh gurus, and u live this life like ur speechless.............

my 2cent point of view hmm well i will say ppl FEAR because they scared to face it afraid of judgement day etc... enjoy life dun worry abt it.. eg: we born we celebrate with joy<bday etc> we die we cry why? haha MAYA attachment lol ? i wont say i am a saint etc pray meditate 24/7 just an average person lol ~Death is mY Bride Fear IS mY fRiend ~

maybe the post shuld also post this what do human fear of ? Pests mice cocoraches lizards etc ,serving MiLLITAry,helping others <breakdown vehicle>,roller coaster bungee lol...

just my 2cent point of view no offences

cheers
Navdeep Singh

Ah yes of course the age old question, one of the best replies i have understood:To be, or not to be: that is the question:Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;No more; and by a sleep to say we endThe heart-ache and the thousand natural shocksThat flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummationDevoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;For in that sleep of death what dreams may comeWhen we have shuffled off this mortal coil,Must give us pause: there's the respectThat makes calamity of so long life;For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,The insolence of office and the spurnsThat patient merit of the unworthy takes,When he himself might his quietus makeWith a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,To grunt and sweat under a weary life,But that the dread of something after death,The undiscover'd country from whose bournNo traveller returns, puzzles the willAnd makes us rather bear those ills we haveThan fly to others that we know not of?Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;And thus the native hue of resolutionIs sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,And enterprises of great pith and momentWith this regard their currents turn awry,And lose the name of action. - Soft you now!The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisonsBe all my sins remember'd.

O Gurudev, give me peace,
Give worthy feelings, worthy intelligence.
Give mutual cooperation.
Give purity to my heart.
Let there be pure feelings in my mind.
Let there be pure conduct by my body.
May my speech be free of falsity and slander.
May the sentiment of devotion increase.

May my thoughts not be agitated
by the ripening of innate karma.
May my body and mind be healthy,
may my worship be free of obstacles.
May I remain in the presence of Saints
and be filled with the sentiment of devotion.
May I swim across the ocean of samsara, the ocean
filled with passion, hate, change and fear.

Let there be neglect for wicked persons
and compassion for the destitute,
Happiness among those of good conduct
and friendship with good people.
May buffoonery cease and may we delight
in the words that lead across samsara.
May we be merry in the study of wisdom;
may we keep our minds under control.

May we have hope of refuge with the Satguru,
may we have no fear of lust and other vices.
May we ever yearn for self-awakening
and have faith the the words of revelation.
May the darkness of ignorance be destroyed;
may the lamp of knowledge be lit.
May the law of death be forgotten,
and immortality be expanded.

May there be no harm done to living beings
through my words or my actions.
May I never feel the least attachment
to the objects of my senses.
May there always be happiness
and the absence of desire.
May there be an end to the power of samsara,
and a beginning to the knowledge of God.


Now What To Fear?


Now what to fear?
Fear merged in Fear,
I know the secret of duality.

Fears always afflicted me,
when I isolated
you from me.

One is he with the One
who sees
the inner-outer as one.

But brute is he
who led by delusion
makes low-high division.

Freed from my "I" [ego],
says Kabir.
I saw Ram in all. [Ram=God]

-- Guru Kabir,

u shudnt fear death if u have done good in the world ... u shud if u havent because ur running out of time in a way

Dear loving all

People fear death mainly because of IGNORANCE about the true self and its true relationship with the body.

People wrongly identify themself as BODY and conceive strong attachment to the persons around ( Parent,relatives, friends etc) & aquisation of worldly materials.

For each creation ( living or material) their is a start ( Birth) and definite end (Death) in the universe.

Many persons know this but have not trained themself to experience this.

Gyan from the GURUS bless the individual to make self efforts to see & feel this reality called DEATH.

Creaving of MIND can never be satisfied with outer world. Just start your journey INWORD without delay. The present question will automatically be disolved.

Once again LOVE to all

Neutral Singh said:

Why do humans fear death? Is this a condition that exists in all life or merely in sentient life? If you could be immortal would you? What are your views in how human beings overcome death?

Click to expand...

When we touch something hot, we pull our finger away. When we see something dangerous, our adrenaline kicks in to allow us to either fight or take flight. When our children are born, we will give up our own lives just to ensure that they survive.

From birth, we spend our lives attempting to avoid the only real inevitability. Death.

The human body is essentially a vessel for our genetic code; a code that is programmed for self-preservation. That's why everything we do is oriented around ensuring that our DNA survives.

In a nutshell, it's as simple as that.

Humans fear death :- True.
Why I guess God made it that way.

Sikhs dont fear death rather it is other way round death that fears a Sikhs.

so what does it means ?

Sikhs are superhuman !@ Waheguru.com

QED

WGKWGF

hps62

Neutral Singh said:

Why do humans fear death? Is this a condition that exists in all life or merely in sentient life? If you could be immortal would you? What are your views in how human beings overcome death?

Click to expand...

In a slightly different order,

Only sentient life would know that death is to be expected.

Immortal? Too hypothetical, but the risk is, that it would be terribly boring when you have experienced all that you can imagine.

That statement leads me to my personal view. I think that I have had more and varying experiences than the average person. There are of course much more things that I would like to know and experience. My present body applies some limitations, though. I won't strive towards getting a diving certificate, but I might consider trekking in the Himalayas. There is no limit to the number of languages that I'd like to learn.

BUT

comparing what I've experienced to the efforts needed to attain more intense experiences, I'm prepared to die. Now. Without any remorse, as long as the process won't be too painful to me or to my loved ones.

I should add that I don't believe in any second (or more) existencies. No heaven or hell (Xianity), no reincarnation or re-birth. When I'm done, I'm done. Period. Death will overcome me, by definition, but I just don't care.

btw i need to add something lol...along with the reincarnation life cycle you'll have the punishment from the jamthooth...fun stuff

S|kH said:

Humans fear death, because they want things to be permanent, try to grasp something that will never have death, that will always look over them, hence God was created. They are scared that eventually everything they do...will mean nothing, that they will become a statistic in this world like the rest of the dead people.

Click to expand...

When you said, "that's why God was created," (thank you for using the standard capital G) i was taken aback. Then i realized that like me you are not sikh. You are apparently atheistic (My guess would be Buddhist from the escapism sound of the "green paper" part).
I ask you then to consider the second law of thermodynamics. The second law states that the amount of usable energy (non-entropy) is constantly decreasing. So then throw time into reverse and travel backward you would see entropy decrease and eventually the entropy level would reach zero (this is considered to be right before the so called "big bang").
By the second law, (constant increase of entropy) nothing could have happened before this. What then was the pre-"big bang" universe? It could not be. Matter therefore, is finite and in need of a cause. This cause must be something beyond matter. This same is God.

Fear of death is because it is a realm of the unknown. When we get to know the unknown then fear disappears. At one time people feared lightening and now that know we have become acquainted with it, it has become our slave. Fear is no more.

When you walk the path of spirituality holding the hand of your Guru then again there is no fear of death. Death occurs many ways and has many modes. Death of body is not death because that generates new life. A spiritualist seeks the death where life cases to exist.

"Pehlan marn kabool, jivan di shadd aas......................" There will be no fear. This will lead you to the ultimate death.

I don't fear death. I want it to come. This world sucks. Nothing is better than Akaal.