Death is something that many people fear. For many, just the subject of death causes uneasy feelings. Possibly because it forces people to think about their own mortality, and whatever it is, they believe comes after death. Death is something everyone has to deal with at some point. Not only in contemplating death at an individual level, but also having to see friends and loved ones die.

Death is an uneasy subject to approach because of how deeply it affects everything and everyone. In trying to get people to recognize it differently than they already do seems like a nearly impossible task. Personally, I do not think that death should be a source of fear, angst or anxiety. Death is death and it needs to happen.

Think about it this way: In what way would your life be improved by being able to live forever? Being immortal that is. By being immortal, you would no longer have the worry of death. However, just because you no longer have the worry, does not make your life any better. Your life would still be your life–with all of the other problems besides the worry of death you deal with on a daily basis. Being immortal to me would be one of the worst punishments imaginable. People worry about seeing their friends and loved ones die. Imagine being immortal and out living all of the people you have ever known and loved. Very few people deal with this in one lifetime–but in being immortal, they would experience this over multiple lifetimes. It would become a very lonely existence. In which someone’s quality of life dissipates the longer they live.

Death is something that should not cause fear. It happens sometimes in very sad ways that cause us to mourn and reflect. Nevertheless, we should recognize the importance of it at the same time. Immortality, if it were ever to be granted to someone, would not be a pleasant experience. Personally, I would rather be faced with the problems of death, than the problems of immortality.

Ruggles is a junior Philosophy major and can be contacted at [email protected]