Death is everywhere: plants, animals and strangers are dying all around us everyday. Many of us think nothing of it and go on with our everyday lives, but when faced with the death of a loved one, everything changes. We then start to see just how real death is.
It reminds us of our own mortality and often leaves us confused and desperate for answers. Is there an afterlife? Will I ever see my loved ones again? What's the meaning behind it all?
One way we often try to confront this problem is turning to religion. Religion attempts to help us by providing clear answers to these question. Belief in an afterlife is a common thread in the world's religions and there's usually an explanation on how to make it there. A central problem in life is clearly diagnosed along with a solution. In Christianity, atonement is the solution to sin in order to make it into heaven. In Buddhism, negativity is overcome with self-discipline and enlightenment in order to escape the endless cycle of reincarnation, an idea that many of the world's religions also follow.
But what if there is no meaning that is sacrosanct after all? What if all these religions are false and just offering false hope? If we were to discover that these religions had no merit and that life had no clear meaning, we would naturally be filled with a sense of hopelessness. If there's no life after death, is life even worth living?
According to legendary French philosopher Albert Camus, despite such hopelessness, life is certainly worth living. The universe is indifferent to our suffering and we have involuntarily been thrown into a pointless cycle of life and death. Religion is simply a failed attempt to escape this fact. Life is inherently meaningless and we are left to fend for ourselves.
But while the inevitability of death seems overwhelming, death shouldn't fill us with despair. On the contrary, it should lead us to be rebellious against our fate. Rather than allowing ourselves to be overcome with despair, we must rebel against the indifference of the universe by enjoying our experience on this earth and living the best life that we possibly can.
So rather than being afraid of death, we should feel empowered by it. It should serve as a reminder that every moment in our lives is precious and must not be wasted.
