A Brief Philosophy on Death

Almost a decade ago, I was coming back from school. Siddharth accompanied me on the bus. We were in our late teens. We were worried about which college we would get into. I asked Siddharth about his future plans. He said, "I would join college by the time I am 18, finish college by 21, work for a few years till the age of 25, enjoy life to the fullest, and then die!" What? Die at the age of 25? "Why not? I am sure that I would be done with life by then. Also, what would you even do with a longer life?" I was pretty damn sure that he was kidding. I ignored his comment for a few days. But then I started thinking about it in a deeper sense. Is there really any good for us to die at such an early age? What about parents? What about getting married and having kids?

Years later, I graduated from college at the age of 21. I took a software engineering job at a company. I was very motivated for the first few months. I still had a hangover from the great college life. But soon, the phase was over. I was left with taxes to pay, investments to make, promotions to grab, and motivate everyone else to do so. In 2020, there was a wave of coronavirus. I was left alone in a one-bedroom apartment. I was unable to see any of my friends. I was very frustrated with life. In another few months, I started hating my job as well. There seemed to be too much control of others in my life, and I didn't feel good about it. There were too many expectations from society. I still kept going, thinking that this may be a phase that would end someday. However, the frustration kept on building until it became boredom. On one fine Sunday, I was resting on the bed staring at the fan on the ceiling. I was looking at it, and it was looking at me. I was reminded of what Siddharth had said to me. His words were so accurate. I did feel like digging up a grave and resting myself in there. After all, death seemed to be the only inevitable fate. Everything else seemed arbitrary, an unending quench for gaining more control over life.

I don't know why humans want to live long and prosperous lives. Everyone struggles in the gym just to make sure that they don't die early of some heart disease. Everyone works hard to earn wealth to ensure their family doesn't starve to death. But why? Why can't we build a culture of accepting death as the most beautiful thing in life? Perhaps the fear of death that we teach to our children is the worst thing that a generation inherits. Life is the most overrated product of fear. Life is purposeless. One has to seek their own purpose and then work on a narrative to control the world to get their purpose fulfilled, which itself was too shallow and self-centered in the first place. What is "purpose" anyway? It is just a way for chemicals in our brains to trick us into assuming that something is meaningful. Unfortunately, the truth is that there is no meaning to anything. A purpose is just a way to keep ourselves busy and entertain our huge brains. After all, intelligence is bound to have its negative ends as well. Have you ever seen a cow having a purpose or talking about her goals? She might have some emotional triggers but definitely no purpose. Sometimes I do think that psychedelic drugs are a better way to live life. At least you are not worsening the world by your false sense of purposefulness.

While I still agree that life may be beautiful for many, we don't know how lovely death can be. Maybe death opens the door to a wonderful world that only those who dare to leave the attachments of our current world deserve. I must mention here that death is celebrated in several cultures, including Hinduism. I cannot forget the sight that I saw at the Harishchandra Ghat of Varanasi. While the mourning sessions themselves were painful, people did force themselves to smile and be happy about the liberation of a soul. Death was embraced. Have you ever heard of anyone who has had a greater impact on humanity by living a long and prosperous life? Did they really need 80-90 years to have their impact? The answer is no. One doesn't need a long life to leave behind a legacy. In fact, most people who strive for a long life often refuse to accept the fact that they are growing old. Have you seen those large billboards that say "70 is the new 60!" Like, what? Why? How does that matter? How long are you willing to be in a state of denial? You have to grow old and go through the sufferings of old age—left alone with no means, begging for survival.

Additionally, every generation passes on this burden of survival to their children. The children are asked to believe that living a long and fulfilling life is the most important thing. They are taught lessons about how Majnu spoiled his life and died so early for Laila, how drugs can destroy their life, how hard work can help them succeed, and how financial education can make them rich. But why? Is it not fulfilling enough to experience the highest state of love before you die? Is it really bad to consume something that enhances your emotions and connects you with your imagination? What is the definition of success anyway? What is wrong with poverty when it can liberate so many people from the unending cycles of suffering on Earth? Probably, every generation just wants to ensure that their DNA thrives. But for how long? We are so doped with the idea of ownership and control that we forget the fact that we have absolutely no control over anything. The only thing that we can work for is to liberate ourselves from this cycle of life.

Not to worry; I and Siddharth are now 25+ and we are still alive. The large point that I want to make here is that our civilized society is served with all the materialism that has denied us from accepting the ultimatum of life. The false sense of goals, achievements, and legacy has instilled us with so much fear that we cannot tolerate losing them. In turn, we have been overrating life, and now we have a vicious cycle of seeking more and more comforts and getting into a higher and higher state of denial.

PS: If Thanos were to really wipe out half of the population at random, then I would love to be in the half that would die. After all, a chance is always fair. At least I would be resting in a grave and not being a living zombie.