聽老人開講-95「東西方對死亡的恐懼感」

 聽老人開講-95「A Phobia about Death」東西方對死亡的恐懼感

With people advancing in years, they inevitably have fear of death. The fear may stem from decline in health, physically or psychologically. Whichever reason it might be, it has an impact on a person’s life style and life span or vice versa. 

As one grows older, one’s health problems become deteriorating, mostly including chronic illness, such as hypertension, high cholesterol , high sugar levels etc.. Should proper medical attention be paid in due time, the illnesses might be healed or under control before they become worse. But sometimes illnesses might be out of control even before they are detected, as in some cases of medical problems like carcinomas. And death is at hand!

The longer people suffer from illnesses, the more disturbed, frustrated, irritated and worrisome they become. Thus psychological distress or suffering might give rise to illness complications such as insomnia, pessimism, or even idea of committing suicide…etc. Psychological stress may cause some living cells to become from benign to malignant. In this way the prolonged illness may also affect people’s life style and their points of view about life. However, life is not only a mission but an enjoyment in itself if looked upon on brighter sides. It is by no means just an obligation to bear children or  to support a family, nor a spiritual burden,a torture ! 

It’s true that people will reach their journey’s end someday. When time comes, we must surely face Death. But too much worry or anxiety might hasten people to their graves sooner than they could otherwise have avoided. 

With modern inventions and conveniences, our life has been improved and life span  elongated, too. Man has experienced the era without electricity, through some epoch-making inventions, including steam engines to diesel ones, from atomic age, e-generation to AI…….. Those regarded as imaginations before have turned out to be a reality. These heighten man’s standard of living, and better his life as well. It’s true that people may become out of date, owing to fast-changing world. But people out of date are still eligible for living in the world. God gave this world to those fit to live. Therefore, it depends on a man’s aptitude , ability, wisdom and taste to keep abreast of the times to survive or to become isolated from the rest of the world, thus exiting from the stage of the world. 

It’s natural for people to fear death, which might come naturally or accidentally. Natural death refers to dying in a natural way as the Chinese saying - (壽終正寢), people die when they are asleep or die in peace. While  accidental death means dying unexpectedly, such as those caused by traffic accidents, or sudden deaths due to medical problems, such as cardiovascular diseases, MI (myocardial infarction), which has become increasingly common nowadays. 

For people to fear death seems to be universal with the exception of a certain kind of people who willingly die for their main cause or faith, or for his lord, his country. It is sometimes referred to as easy and simple as “returning home”. (視死如歸）.Stupid as you might call them, they win respect or honor for  their death. Because they die a martyr, like a pious Muslim dying for his belief. Not until World War II did most Americans realize how people can make a suicide attack such as Japanese Kamikaze(神風) or Samurai’s “hara kiri “ (killing oneself by cutting one’s belly open with a sword)-切腹自殺。Nor did they understand how foolishly the Chinese and the north Vietnamese soldiers fight against the Americans in Korean and in Vietnam wars respectively! These Oriental soldiers sometimes are just so idiotic and crazy as to fight  like possessed! And it surely made American G.I’s scared,too. 

For some Oriental people, to die a heroic death is an honor. Here goes a Chinese proverb, to die is sometimes heavier(more honorable) than the Tai Mt. (one of the highest mountains in China); while at other times it’s lighter (more worthless) than a feather! (死有重於泰山，有輕於鴻毛）。 To die for one’s boss, lord or a country is regarded as the former. In the Orient, people believe he who fears least about death is most feared. 

In English there are some different expressions referring to “death “:

*Someone is dead.

*Someone died.

*Someone has died. (poor English)

*Someone passed(away). 

*Someone expired. 

*Someone breathed his last. (More literary)

*Someone reached his journey’s end ( literary)

*Someone is no more. (Colloquial)

*Someone is gone.(colloquial)

However, among Taiwanese an idiomatic expression goes “there is only one way to be born but there are hundreds of ways of dying “「一樣生；百樣死」。 (Almost without any exception, man is born through a mother’s womb)

Well, humans are doomed to die sooner or later. To help oneself to die without regret, with contentment or in peace is something most sought after. But it needs some wit or wisdom. I think seeking sympathy from a religion he believes in might help. For Buddhists, to die is like “flying on a crane, going back to the West, or the paradise” (駕鶴西歸); to be with the Buddha.  For Christians, they are told to be honorably “summoned by God （蒙主寵召）or Jehova”！For Muslims, they are recalled by Alah! Whichever terms people are using to describe or depict “death”, human beings are destined to die one way or another ! These kinds of saying can just serve as a solace and only help people to die in a better way, more joyfully or contentedly. After all, they are nothing but consolation in advance or sugar-coated words used in bidding farewell to you.  Period! 

*The above article is of my own writing. Should you have any comment or different opinion, you are most welcome to have it shared. Thank you!

以上拙文，尚請指教！謝謝！

Justin Lai (賴正雄）

In USA 寫於美國

02 /21/2024