Godspeed Through Death

The thought of death is foreboding and depressing. It creates a fear of the unknown, a sense of mystery, a lack of control, and uncertainty about what-if anything-comes after. Along with fear of pain, separation, and loss of identity, it is a source of silent dread amid the pretense of courage. Feelings of foreboding and dread of death are common human experiences often described as thanatophobia (fear of death) or death anxiety.

While many people feel uneasy about mortality, it is considered a phobia or an anxiety disorder when the dread becomes persistent and interferes with a happy life. Human self-awareness forces us to confront the fact that life must end, a reality that can be deeply unsettling. Death is the "ultimate unknown." People fear what comes after-nonexistence, God's judgment, or an afterlife-and feel unprepared. Death is viewed as a fatal event that cannot be delayed or controlled, which causes distress for those who value autonomy.

Many individuals are not as afraid of being dead as they are of common worries, such as physical pain, disability, or a loss of dignity during their final days. There is a widespread fear of dying alone or in a hospital setting, surrounded by strangers. The fear of death often centers on the consequences for those left behind. People worry about leaving children, a spouse, or dependents without financial or emotional support. Some-particularly the elderly-fear living too long and becoming a physical or financial burden on their family. Death apprehension is higher among those who feel they haven't fulfilled their life. The fear is that death will come before one can complete a lasting legacy.

Charles Spurgeon said: If I do not think of death, yet death will think of me. If I do not go to death by meditation and consideration, death will come to me. Let me, then, meet it like a man, and to that end let
me look it in the face.

- James Eakins