The Greatest Fear Of Death

The parents came out of Grandma’s room by one by one, bags under their eyes, makeup running down their face, and bright red noses. By that time, I could almost predict what happened. As my mom and dad approached us with their heads down, I prepared myself to hear exactly what I never wanted to hear. “The doctors are turning off the life support machine. She isn’t suffering anymore, and she will be looking over every one of you guys. She said she loves you all so much,” Mom told us while my dad didn’t hide his tears back.

I was getting ready for bed because I had school tomorrow when my mom said she couldn't breathe. I told her sit down and breathe, but she already was. I started to think about how she has a collapsed lung and if she might need to go to the hospital. I got out of bed and went into the living room where she was. I asked her if she wanted me to call 911, at first she said no, but soon changed her mind. “Hello, my mom is having trouble breathing,” I said into my cellphone with my voice slightly shaking. The operator then said there was an ambulance on its way. I started packing some clothes for my sister, Lyndsey, for tomorrow when she

An ambulance came and carried out my mom. I didn’t know what was going on, so many questions running through my mind, what was wrong with her, was she going to be ok. I was scared, more scared then I had ever been. My sister Sheridan who was 8 asked me “what’s happening?” through tears. On that day a little piece of me began to change because if I let her see my fear that would not help anyone, and so even though I didn’t know what was happening I responded “everything is going to be ok” even though I did not trust my own words.

The fear of death is meaningless in this concept. But what are we fearing in death? Is it the unimaginable or our life afterwards? Socrates does not seem to explain this; he simply summarizes that if you lead a life, such as seeking true wisdom, the idea of fear does not exist. What completely is death? He explains it as the separation of the soul and body, but is there actually more to that? For instance, what occurs to your body once you are liberated? How can the soul be called pure if it tainted within a body? Even though the body is simply a vessel, the actions of the individual and the knowledge they have is due to some of the information obtained from the body. The body is not completely evil; although it is distracting, the soul carries on the information of the body. So, in this sense, what does he mean by pure (pure from what- sin, distractions, false happiness). Socrates fails to take into account these type of questions and simply tries to state death as such: upon death, a person obtains an immortal and flawless soul and a person grows closer to the truth upon death.

“I was doing some research and they have one of the best doctor. You know for surgery and procedures. We don't know if she's going to need surgery yet, and the doctor down here can't really tell me much”

The title "On The Fear Of Death," caught my eye as I was skimming the text for a story. After some thought, I concluded that the word "death" means more to me than most of my peers. I grew up as the daughter of a hard working man, one with an uncommon occupation. My father is a mortician. "On The Fear Of Death" intrigued me because many adopt such a negative view of death. Kubler-Ross takes the concept of death and embraces it, perhaps allowing her to ease her own fear of mortality. She eloquently expresses her views, emotions, and feelings regarding death and dying. Humans cannot conceive peaceful death, instead most imagine themselves suffering before they pass. Kubler-Ross nicely expresses that "death in its

When it was my sophomore year in high school, I was going through I rough time. I had experienced so much that I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want to continue with life. I was simply tired of trying and fighting because it all felt hopeless to me. Then on June 5, 2017, in the early morning, I wanted

Thantophobia, the fear of death, has an affect on 68% of the U.S. population in some way or another. “Some people fear being dead, while others are afraid of the actual act of dying” (Thantophobia). Throughout history, many different assumptions of death have occurred, leading people to be curious of what is true and what is not. This may be why most pieces of writing use the fear of death somehow in their story. “An almost universal fear, death recurs in literature more than any other fear…” (The top 10). Throughout literature the popularized fear of death writing style has been used in many pieces of work such as “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “The Masque of the Red Death”.

“Molly, we have something to tell you,” my parents said, walking into the living room with saddened looks on their faces. I paused the movie and awaited their news. “Your grandma has been diagnosed with cancer.” I definitely was not expecting that to be the news, so it hit me like a brick wall; I was troubled and overwhelmed by the news to such an extent that I was speechless. She has been an important figure in my life for as long as I can remember and has always been there to listen and give me advice whenever I need it. Her insight into the important things in life has helped me and will continue to as I pursue my dreams for years to come.

Last December, I came home from practice to find my mother on the floor of the living room, hardly breathing. I dropped to her side, begging her to tell me what was wrong, and she whispered that she was having a heart attack. Upon hearing that, my actions became erratic; I was hyper-aware of my heart, of time, of the phone I could not keep still in my shaking hands as I called for help. After waiting in painful apprehension, two paramedics would walk in, put my mother on a stretcher, and carry her out. I would give them her prescription medicine and wrote down the name of the hospital she would be going to. Then, they would take her away, and I would be alone in a house of utter silence. Something about the silence allowed me to ruminate over

I was born on a neighborhood where the street divides two slums. I do not think I'm in the wrong place. I don´t victimize myself. I believe that everything has a purpose. I have seen many colleagues lose their freedom of choice by being seduced by the crime. When I told my friends about this contest they said "oh, you'll finally find love". I said I do not know. Perhaps. And they stared at me like I was crazy. But I took all my patience and answered that life goes far beyond studying, marrying and having children. And no, please do not think that love is out of my dreams. But I'd be lying if I said it's my only purpose here. We all have a special purpose for our existence. Some do not discover their purposes and others are afraid. In fact, I believe the vast majority are afraid.

My mother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer when I was in the seventh grade. School just ended and I remember running towards the playground, throwing down my backpack, eager to get on one of the swings. At the same time as I stepped foot on the playground I saw my brother getting out of the car and walking towards me. As I picked up my bag and got closer, I noticed tears in his eyes. I shifted my eyes towards the car and spotted my family all sitting anxiously waiting for me to get in. During the ride home, I kept asking my brother, two sisters and father what was wrong but they would not say a word till we got home. This is when I turned to ask my mother. Although she was smiling, telling me everything will be okay, I saw pain and sadness in her eyes.

“Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact, we have no fear of death anymore, nor actual difficulty in our life,” said Suzuki (Suzuki, Part II, pg 92). This quote by Suzuki suggests that he believes that as a society we are thanatophobia (fear of death and dying). Why are we so terrified of dying? We often see people contributing to senseless life styles simply because they are too frightened to die to their insignificant selves. We constantly partake in unhealthy actions simply because we fail to recognize that there is a beauty in dying. This type of beauty is special because through these mini-deaths we renew ourselves to something better. In dying, we abolish our small minds and opens to a meaningful state of mind,

I believe in the fear of dying. That we should be frightened of the unknown and uncertain. I believe that we should never be so certain of the uncertain. That certainty only leads to argument and hatred. I believe in animals. That they can make anyone's day, no matter what that day held. I believe in wonderful days. That all days should hold happiness and fun. I believe in mission trips. That seeing starving, unselfish, hope filled children can move someone in a way that nothing else can. I believe in change. Nothing is set to be one way from the beginning. I believe the beginning of any living thing’s life should be cherished and special. That one living being will only be given life once, leading to celebration of one's arrival to this great

August 28th 1999 at exactly 2:15pm was the moment i was born and also the moment I began to fight for my life. I had the face death before I could even begin living. During my mother's pregnancy, she struggled with a battle against drugs. They had an overpowering hold on her that she couldn't fight; no matter how much strength and effort she put into the battle she could never overcome her addiction. And unfortunately for me, it had a drastic effect on my birth. I was born without a chance to live, I had no cry, no movement, I had no breath and no life. The doctors diagnosed me with a lung condition called Transient Tachypnea as well as Pneumonia. And because of this, I am different. I am living proof that no matter what life you're born into,