Oh, Death.

Let me begin by stating an obvious fact: we all die. We all know this. We learn it at a very young age, and it is profound. For many of us, this knowledge is intensely destructive. I can understand why such understanding can be paralyzing, but I never shared in the terror.

The fear of death is something that is terribly difficult to escape. Imagine. One day you will breath your last breath and fade from this universe. You will be gone. Forever. Nobody will ever see you, hear you, smell you, taste you. This description is horrifying for most. Again, I can understand why. You never have enough time to do all you want to do. On top of that, your death may cause severe harm for your family or friends. So many negative outcomes can be realized upon death. But. We know it is coming. We may not know the day or time, but we know it is inevitable.

Why fear the inevitable? I suffer from this trap. I often fear of the future. What will tomorrow bring? The unknown is what gives me pause. Maybe that is why we fear death. It is not that we will cease to exist, but that we have no information beyond that moment. The unknown of death is beyond all measure and description.

I do not fear death. I had to face death for about a year growing up. I was sick, you see, and the doctors kept asking me questions on whether I had a growth in my brain. The sickness turned out to be non-life threatening, but spending a year thinking you are dying when you are 16 can cause some changes. For a long while I had dreams of dying. Some people say that if you die in your dreams you die in real life. Don't listen to those people. I hit the pavement during many a dream fall. The point is: if you process death and come to terms with it, the fear of death has little hold. I was unfortunate enough to find this out first hand.

I think, though, people do not have to go through such an experience to be free of the destructive nature of the fear. Simply embracing the fact that we die, like so many cultures in the past, helps free us from the paralysis. We cannot lie to ourselves, or hide the truth. We must absolutely understand that one day you will die. No anti-aging cream or plastic surgery will stop it. You will die. If you are lucky, you will get old before hand. That's just another part of life.

Death and Taxes. Of the two, I say fear taxes.