World — You = 0
Embracing the ultimate end
“Death is the end.”
Yes, “The End”.
We know it. Everyone knows it. Right?
No, not at all. Not even close. Most of us don’t even understand what “The End” may look like.
No matter how intelligent we are, we have not understood this fundamental thing:-
After death, we “will” be what we were before our birth. Just Nothing…..
I know nothing is going to last
Wait, are you talking about people who believe in reincarnation, the afterlife, ghosts and spirits, the eternal soul, or near-death experiences? They are the people who hold these bizarre beliefs of life after death. I’m not one of them.
No, I’m not talking about those. I’m talking about everyone — each of us, including me.
I don’t know about you, but I believe in science. I know none of our parts would remain. Yes, everything would go.
You may know it factually, but have you ever realized its depth? Do we really think that Death is just “The End”?
Yes, I do.
Let’s test it then. Testing it is relatively easy. Just a couple of facts about your life will tell whether you have psychologically accepted the real nature of Death. Or, you think of it as a continuation of life in some other form.
Sh…. Don’t use the De***h world.
It is even evident from the words we use in place of Death. Here are some examples and their inherent assumptions:-
- Gone forever, Passed away, Departed:- Present at another place.
- No longer with us:- Present with other people.
- Resting in peace:- Present with us but just in total peace.
- Expired:- Present but not in a usable form.
But I’m not one of these people. When someone dies, I just say they have died. Nothing else. I may feel sorry for them, but that doesn’t mean I’ll use these phrases to cover the simple truth.
Feeling Sorry for the Dead
But why feel sorry for someone who doesn’t exist at all?
You may think that living is a great experience. All the dead people are missing out on these extraordinary experiences.
But don’t you think one needs to exist to miss out on something? Are we sorry for all those people who are yet to be born? After all, they are also missing out on these extraordinary experiences.
If not, then why is the case of dead people different?
Feeling sorry for the relatives of dead people is one thing, but feeling sorry for the dead themselves is altogether a different thing.
Sorry, I don’t fit into this category. Now I realize that I’ve felt sorry for the families of dead people, not for the ones who have died.
Fear of Death
Okay, let me ask you this: do you fear Death?
No, I don’t think so. I don’t even think about Death that much. So, you don’t need to explain this one.
But what about all of these psychological fears that most of us experience daily:-
- Fear of the Unknown
- Fear of Darkness
- Fear of Failure
- Fear of Aging
- Fear of Public Speaking
Aren’t they all somehow linked to death?
What??? How are they linked to death???
Well, think of a person who is ready to die at any point in his life. He is also ready with his “Ultimate End” right now. Do you think this person would experience any of these fears? And doesn’t it show that all fears are directly or indirectly related to the fear of death only?
And this fear only tells us one thing:-
We have not understood what Death really is.
But how is it so? How our fear tells us that we have not understood Death.
OK, tell me, what triggers fear?
Isn’t it a thought that we will lose something? That we will be in a worse position. And whenever we have this thought, we experience fear, right?
If you observe carefully, one thing is common in this thought: “We will….”. For fear to exist, it is necessary to think that whatever happens, it will happen to us. Our fear tells us that we have inherently assumed our existence after death.
No, I’m not afraid of my death. I also don’t have all of these psychological fears that you talked about. I’m just scared of what will happen to my loved ones after I die. For the same reason, I’ve bought life insurance as well.
What About My Family?
Did you say “My Loved Ones”? Don’t you think we first need “I” before “My”? If “I” doesn’t exist, how can something be “mine”? So, you’ve inherently assumed that your “I” would still exist after you die.
Again, the analogy of our birth would be helpful to understand. Were you worrying about your loved ones before you were born? Or, were there any loved ones of yours?
No, I didn’t even exist at that time. So, how can someone be “my” loved one?
So, how can the relations that started with birth continue after death?
I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t buy life insurance. And why would I suggest such a bizarre idea? After all, I don’t want to see any people suffering in my lifetime. But yes, I’m not going to buy it.
How you can be so selfish? Even though it may not be yours, a family would still exist and suffer. How can you do this to a family? A family that you’re a part of right now.
The whole world would sink with you!
No, no one would suffer. Forget suffering; no one will even exist after you die.
Are you out of your mind now?
Wait! Just imagine what would happen after you die. Yes, pause for a couple of seconds and imagine what would happen just after you die. Are you able to think of the reactions from your loved ones?
Hmm..……
If you can imagine anything, then you’ve not understood death.
But wouldn’t there be a funeral? Wouldn’t there be multiple condolences from my loved ones?
We assume all of this because we have seen the death of multiple people. We observe that they die, and the world doesn’t change at all. Even right now, someone is dying. But we don’t realize that our own death is totally different for us.
Just like we see the birth of many children and simply add one more number to the population. Was our birth just a number for us? Didn’t our whole world begin at that point? So, why do we think this world won’t end after we die?
Yes, the whole world would end. No funeral, no condolences, nothing.
Yes, you’re out of your mind right now.
It does not make sense because we think the world is “out there” in the same form we perceive. The world is full of colors, tastes, smells, and sounds. We never realize that all of these characteristics of the world are our own experiences that our brain is constructing on a live basis.
Let’s understand it without going into complexity.
What do you think the world is?
Everything that I see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Everything that I perceive is the world.
Do you think a bat would perceive the same things? Do you think her world is different? If not, then whose world is right?
For me, my world is right. For Bat, her world is right.
But would you exist after you die?
No
Then whose world would be right?
Oh, shit…. So, you’re saying that there will be multiple worlds after we die?
No, I’m saying that you gave birth to the whole world that you’re perceiving right now, and it would die with your death.
So, what now?
Was it only the intellectual masturbation, or has it had anything to do with my life as well?
Truth doesn’t always come with candies. Luckily, this time, it does.
We all believe that something will still be left after we die, whether it is our image in others’ minds, our legacy, our creativity, our achievements, our family, or anything else — something important will survive death.
Because of this belief, we are always afraid of losing something. It may seem counterintuitive, but the fear of losing something can only exist when there is any chance to save it. Once we are fully aware that we all share the same destination, a complete and final end, we can have the ultimate freedom to live fully.
Can you enjoy any path knowing that it will never end?
Life without a “complete” Death is as dull as this article without an end. Just imagine how boring this article would be if you knew it would never end.
Don’t worry. I’m going to end it here with what Sir J. Krishnamurthy said:-
In the understanding of death, there is the possibility of understanding life.
