(Philosocom's directory on death: https://www.philosocom.com/post/defining-death)
Death is the ultimate unknown in our lives. It is unknown when it is uncertain in possibility, and it is unknown, when we enter it. It is also unknown when others whom we know enter it, and never return. The living has no certain idea of what it contains, and most living have no idea of when they will die.
Death can happen anytime, anywhere, voluntarily, involuntarily. When it happens, you depart into a completely unknown realm, even though none of us have empirical idea of what's on the other side.
The irony of death is, that it happens frequently, and yet, its meaning is unknown. Obviously, we the body ceases to function when we're dead, but when death actually happens, it is unclear what happens in it.
Therefore, death is the greatest mystery there is to humanity, and thus, death is also the greatest unknown there is yet. Send someone to the realm of death as an experiment, and you will never hear their report again, whether or not reincarnation is real.
Hear me out. Why not utilize death, as the ultimate, if not the only, source of fear? Fear, not onto others, but onto yourself? Even when great pain might be there for you, death could be greater, because DEATH CAN BE ANYTHING.
Death could be a heavenly realm, death could be a hellish dimension, death could transfer you anywhere, and death could be absolutely nothing.
With this ultimate uncertainty, I must inquire -- why not fear nothing in existence, but death? You might be tortured, but death could lead even to greater pain; You might be homeless, but death could put you in eternal, absolute isolation; You might have no food, but death could reincarnate you to an embryo, and kill you again, before you were even born!
It is all in the realm of possibility, and absolutely NOTHING in death, could be denied, as a possibility. That is, you see, what should be so scary about death. Not necessarily what will kill you, but also what may await you on the other side, which no one actually knows.
Near death experience? That is not necessarily equal, to be within death itself. It could be a dream, and, I dare say, a scam. After all, the empirical experience of others, isn't the empirical experience of your own.
The fact that someone may claim that they saw certain things when they were near death, doesn't mean YOU will see these same things, and it doesn't mean that are the things, which lie, in DEATH ITSELF.
I came to the conclusion, that I should fear only death, for it is completely unknown, and could be just about anything, as a result. As long as I live, I can write, and when I die, only then my writing will stop. You may "cancel" me, but that only cancel my reputation.
You may imprison me, but my writings could still go on; You may cut off my hands and cause me a great deal of pain, but I could hire someone else to write for me, just like Socrates and Epictetus, who didn't write at all.
Therefore, as a writer, the only thing that could stop me from philosophizing, is death, and EVEN THEN, if reincarnation is indeed true, then I can have a chance at writing once more.
This is why, I chose to utilize death, by using it, to justify being afraid of little else, but death itself. That is simply the philosophy, of one who wishes to optimize his so-called "destiny", "purpose", until the inevitable will come.
Think about it. Even if you will be severely traumatized, and haunted by the past, the truth is, that you can still redeem yourself, until the inevitable arrives. The memories, the scars and the illnesses may still consume your body and mind; At least, you are still alive.
As long as we're alive, there is potential, and when death arrives, only then, your own active potential reaches its full demise... or does it? Who knows?
This is why, as long as you're still alive, you shouldn't be afraid of doing things you believe are worthy of your time, potential and energy. Should you miss this opportunity, you might miss it for all eternity.
Would you want that? To never do something, you wished you could've done, but were too afraid to do? Good, beneficial things, I mean, not just anything, like cold murder.
Consider the inevitable fact, that your time is limited, and consider that, you might never have any further chance, to do things you might be afraid of doing. Simply consider your immense, yet limited potential, just as I did with my own. It is, all I ask from you.
This is what I've learned from fighting games: No matter how much you will be beaten up and defeated, as long as you're alive, you can still try to win your opponent.
