I Am A Man, I Was A Thinker

Meaning and significance of death in the light of the Christian narrative is addressed and shows a deep understanding, including a detailed description and many examples.

Everyone is familiar with the theme of death. “According to experience, death is the stopping of a behavior, the stopping of expressive movements and of physiological movements and processes…It is a departure, a decease, a negativity to the unknown…a departure without a return”(Levinas). Regardless of belief, death is the one equalizer common to man. There are countless stories attempting to illustrate or explain both the feeling and the nature of death given many various outcomes, fortunate or unfortunate. One point remains consistent through all of them: death is inevitable and no one can avoid it. Despite the fact that no man has ever evaded death, several people throughout the ages have unsuccessfully endeavored to unearth the secret to immortality. In fact, the “legends connected with the discovery of North America” also include those of a French explorer named Ponce de León who searched in sixteenth century Florida for the “Fountain of Youth” whose waters supposedly supplied vitality and eternal life (Olschki). In the literary works of Godfather Death and Appointment in Samarra, both tell a morbid tale resulting in death. Viewing the stories from a Christian worldview, both operate on false premises of superstition, man’s nature to control his destiny, and fallible, finite thinking.

Death is one of the most avoided topics because of the finality that comes with it and the fear of the unknown after death. However, there are quite a number of authors such as AtulGawande, Elisabeth Kubler-ross and Ira Byock who have attempted to go ahead and deal with death as a topic and other connected topics.Each of these authors have delved into one of the most revered topics that is death including related topics that come with it such as the dying process itself. Ira Byock’s Dying well: Peace and possibilities at the end of life is a book that looks at the moment prior to death when an individual is terminally sick and is at the point of death. A

It is only human and natural to feel hopelessness and despair as one gets closer to the grave. Religion is an important part of coping with this desperateness. Incorporating a deeper understanding and practicing religion helps with understanding life and death. Spirituality may be one of the most important components mental, spiritual and social health as one crawls towards end of life (Dose, (2007). A study by Dose, (2007) looked at experiences of spirituality in older adults at the end of their life, especially those receiving hospice care. Participants were asked about their “spiritual journey”. The study concluded that spirituality is important to most of the participants of the study and shaped their views in terms of correctness and moving on. A view of life in terms of religion and spirituality was important to them as they neared the end (Dose, 2007). They also found that spirituality helped with coping with their pain and reduced the stress of being

The foundation of our beliefs can be shaken because of traumatizing experiences. Our religious beliefs can be challenged by the thought of death. Why does death happen to good people? Why does it even happen at all? These are questions that go through the minds of people who face and witness death. In the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio is an attestant to several deaths at an extremely young age. The passing of the people he saw forged an unwelcome path that opened the door to spiritual challenges he never thought to be within the context of his fledgling existence.

“Mommy, when will I die?” I can still hear my 4-year old’s little voice asking me this question from the backseat as I am driving. How do I answer her? Do I tell her the truth? Do I lie to her? How do I explain death to a 4-year-old? For her, this question was out of curiosity not fear. For me, this was the most gut wrenching question I had ever been asked. Holding back tears, I gave her the best answer that I knew at the time. “Everyone dies sweetie. Nobody knows exactly when they are going to die. Sometimes it just happens when you least expect it. We all hope to be here for a really long time. And there will always be

Death at any stage in life is personal and holds different meanings to different people. Society places a great deal of meaning on death based upon age, situation, and their personal experiences and beliefs. The viewpoints of death and dying in early childhood are limited; however, children have a basic understanding of death by the age of two through their own observations of family members (Berger, 2008). Children who are dying often fear death as they do not have a fully developed concept of dying and associate death with abandonment (Berger, 2008). At this life stage, it is important to have guidance from his or her parents to gain a better understanding of death and dying.

Then came my brother’s illness. Within the span of less than a week, I was hurled into the real world: a world of uncertainty, adults, and death. Death had finally reached my front door. For four months, he waited there, but would not come in. This time, he was expected. After about three months, and for the first time in my life, I truly feared Death and its power. Unlike with the first three boys, death was more expected. My brother was not eating, not walking, and was showing no signs of improvement. Looking back on it now, I realize that to the adults, it probably seemed like only a matter of time. With my childlike faith, however, this did not seem like a possibility, or at least I told myself that. My brother could not die, he was not like those other boys. Yet he was, to Death’s cold, indiscriminate eye, my brother was exactly the same. However, as I have learned, Death does not care. Death did not care that my brother had been bedridden in a hospital for the past few months or that another boy was just trying to enjoy a pool-party, because he eventually decided to leave my brother alone. He left our home’s doorway with only the smudge of his fingerprints on the

Many years ago the number of people in the United States who died in a hospital was very low. However, many years later a hospital room was where nearly all Americans died. Our cultural denial of death began as the medical profession took over what had been the family's role of caring for the dying. Doctors initially saw death as a failure and an enemy which had to be fought with technology. As most people went to hospitals their impending death was greeted with denial, doctors lied, nurses lied, and family members lied, trying to give the patient hope that they would be able to live longer, however, in reality many patients had no chance of surviving. It’s our survival instinct which often, will never allow human civilization to accept death because, throughout our lives we’re taught to cherish life and survive. Therefore, how are we supposed to accept

Death is defined as the end of life; the cessation of all vital functions in an organism indicated by a loss of heartbeat, breathing and brain activity. Although this translation is more than adequate, technical references to death and dying fail to capture the essence and impact of our eternal and inevitable demise. In every era in human history, cultures have exhibited fascination in death and the afterlife. All over the globe nations practice rituals and ceremonies for their recently deceased loved ones, while other unclaimed cadavers are thrown into incinerators like useless waste material. As human beings, we all face the uncomfortable and unavoidable fact that, someday, our life will come to an end. Nonetheless, the primary hurdle that still remains is fully understanding what it means to die - which is perhaps one area of inquisition that science fails to complete.

To contemplate the end of one’s life is never easy, in fact it leads to thousands of other questions and no answers: When will I die? How will I go? Will it hurt? The questions never stop flowing once they begin- it is inevitable. However, over the years many have tried to give answers to these questions through literature.

Death is a natural part of life – at least that is how the saying goes – but many tend to possess a skewed perception of death. The thought of death generally unnerves and frightens people. Scientist Lewis Thomas addresses this in his 1979 essay “On Natural Death.” In his essay, Thomas establishes himself as a liable source of information through his scientific background and impressive schooling. Aware of his audience’s unease regarding this topic, Lewis Thomas dispels their trepidation by referencing various deaths, beginning with the simplest forms of life and then moving to the complex, and logically proving, through testimony and science, that the circumstances surrounding the deaths may change, but the deaths themselves are still painless and, therefore, nothing to fear.

In the final moments of life, one can only imagine what type of questions will begin to manifest in one's thought process. Will my family be prosperous without me? Will the family be taken care of? Will the financial assets be transferred accordingly to the appropriate family member? The truth is, no one will truly know the fate or answers to these questions until it happens to them, and it can vary for each person. This is a humbling scenario that occurs on a daily bases in our society. In relation to a short story, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” whereas Granny Weatherall is on her deathbed while shuffling through her final thoughts and questions seeking a sign from God. A few readers will disagree with Granny’s final thoughts of how she had been “jilted” once again by not receiving a sign from God. When in fact, Granny has as indeed been given a sign from God, although it may not have been a sign she had been expecting.

Death is often seen by us as something that happens to someone else. Until, suddenly, it is happening to someone we love. Death then becomes a very personal and intimate traveler with us, an often unwelcome guest accompanying us on our journey. One of the main issues which makes death so uninvited is that most people do not know what their choices are during this process; they may not realize that they even have choices. The assumption is that we must die in a hospital setting and that we must then turn our loved ones over to a funeral home service to attend to the body of our dead loved one. But these assumptions are being challenged more and more by people who seek what I call a “better death” and a desire to be fully returned to the Earth.

Nevertheless, death is a significant milestone in a person’s life, it should not be encouraged nor discouraged as it is an inevitable natural process. “Conversely, health systems in Eastern countries have been reluctant to introduce new legislation regarding brain death and to incorporate these practices into their medical guidelines” (Kaplan 2016). As such, it is relevant to assume that those associated with Eastern culture do not acknowledge brain death. Although they display opposing views towards brain death, this may be an effect of their cultural beliefs and presumptions regarding the afterlife. Provided that, death can be observed diversely with many viewpoints based on the significance of the body, status, and religion. In North American culture, it is evident that death should be honored and cherished by those who service it and endure its loss. Death is a notion that is conceived to be real or non-real. As such, for death to be real we will cease to exist, and for it to be non-real, signifies there is life after