The Fear of Death is Worse than Death - Cyber Recovery Social Network Forums

*clean42day* · 08-22-2006, 11:39 AM

The Fear of Death is Worse than Death

My wife and I often take a 15 minute walk from our house to a
coffee shop. We enjoy the walk along a beautiful tree-lined road
and smile at those we pass along the way. Just a few days before
writing this article, we were stopped on our way home by a
Filipino gentleman named Tony.

"You are always smiling," he said to me, "can you teach me how to
be happy? I'm 83 tears old and afraid of death. I may die at any
moment!"

"Yes, it's true," I said, "you may die at any moment. But that is
equally true for me and my wife. None of us know when we will
die." Since he wanted to speak more about death, I made an
appointment to meet him the following day.

I empathized with Tony because I believe as Robert Burton (1577 ~
1640) did that "The fear of death is worse than death." After
all, death kills you but once, yet it was obvious from the
expression in Tony's eyes that the fear of death was killing him
many times a day.

How can we reduce the negative impact of the fear of death? The
best way I know of is to live with no regrets. I'll let Elizabeth
KÃ¼bler-Ross (1926 ~ 2004) explain what I mean, "It is those who
have not really lived -- who have left issues unsettled, dreams
unfulfilled, hopes shattered, and who have let the real things in
life (loving and being loved by others, contributing in a
positive way to other people's happiness and welfare, finding out
what things are REALLY you) pass them by -- who are most
reluctant to die." (Sorry for the complexity of the sentence, but
it's worthwhile struggling through it.)

Elizabeth KÃ¼bler-Ross was a pioneer in Thanatology (the study of
the effects of death and dying), and she taught us the stages we
go through as we face our own death. She originally gave five
stages, which were later increased to seven. Not everyone goes
through all the stages, nor do we necessarily go through the
stages in the order shown below.

STAGES OF DEATH
Shock Stage: "Oh, my God!"
Denial Stage: "It can't be true!"
Anger Stage: "Why me?"
Bargaining Stage: "Spare me, God, and I will do something for You."
Depression Stage: "It's all over. I have nothing to look forward to."
Testing Stage: "What can I do to make my remaining days worthwhile?"
Acceptance Stage: "It doesn't make sense to fight the inevitable."

Of course, we don't want to become like Tony, immobilized by the fear
of death. But neither should we want to remove the thought of our own
death from our consciousness. On the contrary, if we wish to get the
most out of life, we should heighten our Personal Death Awareness
(PDA). The classic reference on this subject is "PDA -- Personal Death
Awareness" by J. William Worden, Ph.D., Prentice-Hall, 1976 (ISBN:
0136572138). Another excellent book is FACING DEATH, EMBRACING LIFE;
Understanding What Dying People Want, David Kuhl, M.D., Doubleday
Canada, 2006. Although this book was written for terminal illness
patients, we can all benefit from it because we are all dying of a
terminal illness. (In our case, the name of the illness is LIFE.)

Although we are aware that others will die, we seldom think about our
own death. That's what PDA refers to. It is about the awareness and
contemplation of our own death. Here are some ways that a higher PDA
can improve our lives:

1. It is foremost an opportunity to live courageously. The higher our
PDA, the more exhilaration, zest, and aliveness we experience. For it
is in its contrast to death that life becomes infused with excitement,
adventure, and pleasure. By remaining aware of our mortality, we stay
connected to life.

2. The awareness of our own demise also serves as a reminder to enjoy
the banquet of life. For as Omar Khayyam (1048 ~ 1123) wrote in The
Rubaiyat:

"Ah, fill the cup: what boots it repeat (drink and be merry) / How
time is slipping underneath our feet: / Unborn tomorrow and dead
yesterday, / Why fret about them if today be sweet!" (Translation by
Edward Fitzgerald, 1809 ~ 1883)

3. An awareness of our own end also spurs us to ask the big questions,
such as "Why are we here?" Not that we'll arrive at conclusive
answers, but at least it will open the gateway to a life filled with
mystery and exploration.

4. It also forces us to think about what is important and reminds us
to get our house in order. That is, the time to think about securing
our family's future by freeing them from debt is now, while we are
still alive and can do something about it.

5. It's a great way to kick start our goals, for if you slack off too
much, it's like having the Grim Reaper kick you in the butt, saying,
"If you want to get something done, you'd better do it now because I'm
close behind!"

6. Focusing on our own death is an opportunity to become painfully
aware that everyone around us is also dying. We don't know how long
they will be with us. So, the time to apologize, make amends, express
our affection, offer our respect and forgiveness is now. Our tears are
no consolation to the dead. It is the living that needs our kindness.

7. Awareness of our own death also opens our eyes to the pain others
are feeling. Do you want to become a volunteer? What greater service
can you offer than helping others cope with their death? You can make
a valuable contribution by volunteering in a hospice or MTC (Make
Today Count) Support Group (support group for patients with terminal
illnesses).

Here is a useful exercise you can perform: What if you knew you would
die in three months? What would you do differently? Well, start doing
that today, for the time remaining is briefer than a wisp of smoke.

The subject of death may appear to be morbid or unnecessarily negative
to some. But it need not be when viewed in the right light. For as
Elizabeth Arden (1878 ~ 1966) wrote, "Death not merely ends life, it
also bestows upon it a silent completeness,..." If that needs further
explanation, here is Morris B. Abram (1918 ~ 2000) to fill in the
details, "A painting on a canvas of infinite size, worked on
eternally, would be without focus, meaning and probably without
beauty. A painting, as life, needs limits." So, as we go about
creating our lives, it is like creating a storybook, and like all
other books, our story cannot go on forever because it needs to end
with a point.

A. Sachs wrote, "Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but
not everyone lives." Why doesn't everyone live? Because they are
trying to vanquish the fear of death, instead of use it in a positive
way. We want to be aware of our mortality; nevertheless, our focus
should remain on life. For like everything else, it's a matter of
balance. That is, we don't want to ignore death, but neither do we
want to be obsessed with it.

Because of the enormity of the subject of death, one can hardly do it
justice in a single article. For a more comprehensive view of the
subject, here are other articles you can refer to:

http://www.personal-development.com/...r_of_death.htm
http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/death.htm
http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/life.htm

By Chuck Gallozzi
Email: chuck.gallozzi#rogers.com (replace # with @)
http://www.personal-development.com/chuck

*janbear* · 08-22-2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

We want to be aware of our mortality; nevertheless, our focus
should remain on life

Since my father's death i have become more aware of my own mortality while continuing to live my life. I like this article. Thank's Gail

aablogger · 08-22-2006, 04:22 PM

An awareness of death has made my life so much richer. For instanceâ€¦.

I died the last time I used and had to be revived by someone administering me CPR. I had a profound spiritual experience during that time, a revolutionary change in my thinking and emotions that allowed me to begin my recovery from my alcoholism and drug addiction.
The insanity of my using was that I had faced similar near death experiences before (sans the spiritual experience!), which were also drug and alcohol induced, and my reaction to those previous near misses was to want to use more.
Also, I was an atheist when I had this spiritual experience. It was only after I got to form a relationship with my higher power that I recognized my experience for what it was. I have never felt closer to God, more serene, or more content than that point in my life when I was apparently neither completely dead nor really alive.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with Hepatitas C. I am currently healthy and in some sense have good reason to believe I will remain this way. Getting this diagnosis freaked me out and put me into fear for awhile. My first reactions were mainly a response to the potential problems that Hep C can cause, and that it can kill you. This made me face my mortality in a fairly direct way. In the end I decided my diagnosis meant I was going to die....someday. As if not having this disease meant I would live forever!

Because of my experience the last time I used, I have felt ever since than that I am only living on borrowed time. As a recovering alcoholic, I recognize that the intervention of God in my life has provided me with more time to experience this current incarnation of my soul. Left to my own devices I would never have stopped using and I would have been dead years ago. That was, after all, where I left off in my using.
What came before my current life, what will come nextâ€¦I am no longer worried about that. I do know that it is truly a blessing to experience what I can right here, right now. I can enjoy, or not enjoy, what I have at this moment.

And try as I may, I will never raise myself above the level of human. Meaning I am mortal and death is inevitable.

*clean42day* · 08-22-2006, 04:28 PM

I can completely relate AAblogger. I also had a near death experience that completely changed my thinking, feeling, and all concepts of spirituality.

welcome to the journey............

light and love

Gail

Doraine · 08-25-2006, 09:37 AM

I thought I would die an alcoholic but I prayed to God to let me die or make me well the last night of my drinking. When I woke I knew I could never drink again even though I didn't know how I could get through one day without a drink. I never drank again. I consider that I got sober by spiritual experience. My only concern about death now is that when I die I want to die sober just as my maternal grandmother did.

08-22-2006, 11:39 AM	#1
clean42day Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Lancaster CA Posts: 1,770	The Fear of Death is Worse than Death The Fear of Death is Worse than Death My wife and I often take a 15 minute walk from our house to a coffee shop. We enjoy the walk along a beautiful tree-lined road and smile at those we pass along the way. Just a few days before writing this article, we were stopped on our way home by a Filipino gentleman named Tony. "You are always smiling," he said to me, "can you teach me how to be happy? I'm 83 tears old and afraid of death. I may die at any moment!" "Yes, it's true," I said, "you may die at any moment. But that is equally true for me and my wife. None of us know when we will die." Since he wanted to speak more about death, I made an appointment to meet him the following day. I empathized with Tony because I believe as Robert Burton (1577 ~ 1640) did that "The fear of death is worse than death." After all, death kills you but once, yet it was obvious from the expression in Tony's eyes that the fear of death was killing him many times a day. How can we reduce the negative impact of the fear of death? The best way I know of is to live with no regrets. I'll let Elizabeth KÃ¼bler-Ross (1926 ~ 2004) explain what I mean, "It is those who have not really lived -- who have left issues unsettled, dreams unfulfilled, hopes shattered, and who have let the real things in life (loving and being loved by others, contributing in a positive way to other people's happiness and welfare, finding out what things are REALLY you) pass them by -- who are most reluctant to die." (Sorry for the complexity of the sentence, but it's worthwhile struggling through it.) Elizabeth KÃ¼bler-Ross was a pioneer in Thanatology (the study of the effects of death and dying), and she taught us the stages we go through as we face our own death. She originally gave five stages, which were later increased to seven. Not everyone goes through all the stages, nor do we necessarily go through the stages in the order shown below. STAGES OF DEATH Shock Stage: "Oh, my God!" Denial Stage: "It can't be true!" Anger Stage: "Why me?" Bargaining Stage: "Spare me, God, and I will do something for You." Depression Stage: "It's all over. I have nothing to look forward to." Testing Stage: "What can I do to make my remaining days worthwhile?" Acceptance Stage: "It doesn't make sense to fight the inevitable." Of course, we don't want to become like Tony, immobilized by the fear of death. But neither should we want to remove the thought of our own death from our consciousness. On the contrary, if we wish to get the most out of life, we should heighten our Personal Death Awareness (PDA). The classic reference on this subject is "PDA -- Personal Death Awareness" by J. William Worden, Ph.D., Prentice-Hall, 1976 (ISBN: 0136572138). Another excellent book is FACING DEATH, EMBRACING LIFE; Understanding What Dying People Want, David Kuhl, M.D., Doubleday Canada, 2006. Although this book was written for terminal illness patients, we can all benefit from it because we are all dying of a terminal illness. (In our case, the name of the illness is LIFE.) Although we are aware that others will die, we seldom think about our own death. That's what PDA refers to. It is about the awareness and contemplation of our own death. Here are some ways that a higher PDA can improve our lives: 1. It is foremost an opportunity to live courageously. The higher our PDA, the more exhilaration, zest, and aliveness we experience. For it is in its contrast to death that life becomes infused with excitement, adventure, and pleasure. By remaining aware of our mortality, we stay connected to life. 2. The awareness of our own demise also serves as a reminder to enjoy the banquet of life. For as Omar Khayyam (1048 ~ 1123) wrote in The Rubaiyat: "Ah, fill the cup: what boots it repeat (drink and be merry) / How time is slipping underneath our feet: / Unborn tomorrow and dead yesterday, / Why fret about them if today be sweet!" (Translation by Edward Fitzgerald, 1809 ~ 1883) 3. An awareness of our own end also spurs us to ask the big questions, such as "Why are we here?" Not that we'll arrive at conclusive answers, but at least it will open the gateway to a life filled with mystery and exploration. 4. It also forces us to think about what is important and reminds us to get our house in order. That is, the time to think about securing our family's future by freeing them from debt is now, while we are still alive and can do something about it. 5. It's a great way to kick start our goals, for if you slack off too much, it's like having the Grim Reaper kick you in the butt, saying, "If you want to get something done, you'd better do it now because I'm close behind!" 6. Focusing on our own death is an opportunity to become painfully aware that everyone around us is also dying. We don't know how long they will be with us. So, the time to apologize, make amends, express our affection, offer our respect and forgiveness is now. Our tears are no consolation to the dead. It is the living that needs our kindness. 7. Awareness of our own death also opens our eyes to the pain others are feeling. Do you want to become a volunteer? What greater service can you offer than helping others cope with their death? You can make a valuable contribution by volunteering in a hospice or MTC (Make Today Count) Support Group (support group for patients with terminal illnesses). Here is a useful exercise you can perform: What if you knew you would die in three months? What would you do differently? Well, start doing that today, for the time remaining is briefer than a wisp of smoke. The subject of death may appear to be morbid or unnecessarily negative to some. But it need not be when viewed in the right light. For as Elizabeth Arden (1878 ~ 1966) wrote, "Death not merely ends life, it also bestows upon it a silent completeness,..." If that needs further explanation, here is Morris B. Abram (1918 ~ 2000) to fill in the details, "A painting on a canvas of infinite size, worked on eternally, would be without focus, meaning and probably without beauty. A painting, as life, needs limits." So, as we go about creating our lives, it is like creating a storybook, and like all other books, our story cannot go on forever because it needs to end with a point. A. Sachs wrote, "Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives." Why doesn't everyone live? Because they are trying to vanquish the fear of death, instead of use it in a positive way. We want to be aware of our mortality; nevertheless, our focus should remain on life. For like everything else, it's a matter of balance. That is, we don't want to ignore death, but neither do we want to be obsessed with it. Because of the enormity of the subject of death, one can hardly do it justice in a single article. For a more comprehensive view of the subject, here are other articles you can refer to: http://www.personal-development.com/...r_of_death.htm http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/death.htm http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/life.htm By Chuck Gallozzi Email: chuck.gallozzi#rogers.com (replace # with @) http://www.personal-development.com/chuck __________________ Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, we can all start from today and make a brand new ending. ~Carl Bard~ "Live today fully, expressing gratitude for all you have been, all you are right now, and all you are becoming." Melodie Beattie

08-22-2006, 04:22 PM	#3
aablogger Regular Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 10	An awareness of death has made my life so much richer. For instanceâ€¦. I died the last time I used and had to be revived by someone administering me CPR. I had a profound spiritual experience during that time, a revolutionary change in my thinking and emotions that allowed me to begin my recovery from my alcoholism and drug addiction. The insanity of my using was that I had faced similar near death experiences before (sans the spiritual experience!), which were also drug and alcohol induced, and my reaction to those previous near misses was to want to use more. Also, I was an atheist when I had this spiritual experience. It was only after I got to form a relationship with my higher power that I recognized my experience for what it was. I have never felt closer to God, more serene, or more content than that point in my life when I was apparently neither completely dead nor really alive. A few years ago I was diagnosed with Hepatitas C. I am currently healthy and in some sense have good reason to believe I will remain this way. Getting this diagnosis freaked me out and put me into fear for awhile. My first reactions were mainly a response to the potential problems that Hep C can cause, and that it can kill you. This made me face my mortality in a fairly direct way. In the end I decided my diagnosis meant I was going to die....someday. As if not having this disease meant I would live forever! Because of my experience the last time I used, I have felt ever since than that I am only living on borrowed time. As a recovering alcoholic, I recognize that the intervention of God in my life has provided me with more time to experience this current incarnation of my soul. Left to my own devices I would never have stopped using and I would have been dead years ago. That was, after all, where I left off in my using. What came before my current life, what will come nextâ€¦I am no longer worried about that. I do know that it is truly a blessing to experience what I can right here, right now. I can enjoy, or not enjoy, what I have at this moment. And try as I may, I will never raise myself above the level of human. Meaning I am mortal and death is inevitable. __________________ Wishing you all the best in sobriety, AA Blogger www.sobergreetings.com

08-22-2006, 04:28 PM	#4
clean42day Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Lancaster CA Posts: 1,770	I can completely relate AAblogger. I also had a near death experience that completely changed my thinking, feeling, and all concepts of spirituality. welcome to the journey............ light and love Gail __________________ Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, we can all start from today and make a brand new ending. ~Carl Bard~ "Live today fully, expressing gratitude for all you have been, all you are right now, and all you are becoming." Melodie Beattie

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08-25-2006, 09:37 AM	#5
Doraine Trusted Servant Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Lansford, PA Posts: 1,308	I thought I would die an alcoholic but I prayed to God to let me die or make me well the last night of my drinking. When I woke I knew I could never drink again even though I didn't know how I could get through one day without a drink. I never drank again. I consider that I got sober by spiritual experience. My only concern about death now is that when I die I want to die sober just as my maternal grandmother did.