Life, Death, and Wisdom : Part 1

"It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." -Solomon (Ecclesiastes 7:2)


OK, this post will be a bit morbid (warning: if you are the type to think that discussing death is questionable, this post might be a bit too much for you). After reading Solomon's proverbs and thoughts in the Bible, it seems that he links the concepts of wisdom and death. Thinking about death (and what it means) leads one down to the path of further understanding. My first reaction to this is alarm; why should we think about death? Won't it just lead those who have suicidal thoughts to becoming more so? At the very least it seems quite depressing, how can this be a good thing?

These are valid concerns - to a point. As a clinician I would never tell a person contemplating harming themselves that it would be good for them to think more about death. And yet, it is often when people are confronted with their own mortality that they wake up to what is important. Also, many of us are afraid of death. "Death anxiety" is a term used in existential psychotherapy which refers to the fear of death and the avoidance/coping methods that most people use to fight it. Existential therapists, converging with Solomon somewhat, would say that instead of distracting ourselves from the reality of death, we ought to instead realize (and accept) that we have a limited amount of time on this planet and should make active choices about how to live. Westerners have a particularly "blind" view of death and suffering. We long for a happy ending and death seems to deviate from that.

Do I fear death? Most days I'd honestly have to say yes. I try to avoid thinking about it. But when I'm confronted with it, it almost always forces me to seek God more and use my time more wisely. Funerals often do bring me into the presence of God in a way that is both painful and yet meaningful. Any thoughts here?

May Light increase!