End of Life - Death and the Path Beyond

The prediction of death is probably the most certain thing after the birth, time may vary but eventuality is certain, without any exception. Yet, humans normally fear to discuss the end of life and there is no end of longing to live forever. The loss of life can be in any age, it can be in friction seconds or it can reach after decades of suffering i.e. the way of attainment is different but end is same. 

Though death is something certain yet it undisputed fact, no one wants to die. It has been observed that after crossing 5 decades of life i.e. 50 years, the fear of life is more a reality hounding humans. It is a stage where people worry, knowing they have spent more years in life than they will in future. At this stage, people can be broadly divided into two category. One, who accept mortality as ultimate truth and attainment of life having lived their life, while the second start fearing death thinking they have still not lived the enough. And no surprise, we definitely have more people falling ins second category than the first. 

Why we fear death  

The fear of death is more natural than exception and the question arises why we fear death so greatly. What do we lose after death. Probably nothing or everything. The answer on loss of belonging can be truly derived only if we know what happens after the death. Is it a dead end or a new beginning. Death can be biologically explained as end of cells and tissues but psychologically it is end of an existence. For the person who dies, it is end of the road where everything ceases to exist in real life and is pushed in memories to be faded in due course. Death is repulsive to most because it is unknown. The sense of attachment is the prime reason why people are not receptive to the concept of death. Death is not experience, we can not experience our death, it just happens. Amongst the fear of death people often don't realise, they are not here to go through pleasure or pain of their own death. Then what causes the anxiety to die ?? There is a different aspect, though death is certain but everyone doesn't die in same way. There can be diseases, accidents or long sufferings, does this causes death a painful encounter ?? Probably not

What happens after we die

When fear of death crosses the mind, also does what happens after death. This thought process is largely (if not completely) controlled by the religion and belief attached the religion. Different religion gives different account of treatment on what happens after the death from nirvana to rebirth. This discussion can be endless. Going by different streams, we find different account, While biology says its permanent end of life cells The spirituality elevates the occurrence taking it as big as attainment or rebirth. Remarkably, biology only states the end of the life and not the things beyond it while spirituality takes the step forward from here.


A driver may lose control of car and hit another, killing a family. A mother may die of unnatural death leaving confused children and a grieving husband. A husband may die suddenly, leaving behind his mourning wife and kids. An infant boy succumbs to a fatal birth defect. A gentle, elderly lady dies quietly in her sleep. Not only this death may also come by choice i.e. suicide. All these lead to the situation of death, whatsoever be the cause the end result is death, end of a body. 

There can be numerous stories of death experience but the mystery still remains, what happens after the death !!!