Death

Rhonabelle R. Mission

“Everyone dies eventually, whether they have power or not. That’s why you need to
think about what you’ll accomplish while you’re alive.” - Mary Macbeth

From the moment of conception in the womb to the moment of birth and beyond,
life is a journey full of unknown probability and frequently mystifying nature. Life,
like everything else that begins, must come to an end in one way or another, and this
might happen at any time.
Could I possibly die tomorrow? Or do I still have a long way to go? Most of us
think about death at some point, and knowing that it will happen to us one day does
not make us feel good. Death is all around us, and it could strike at any moment,
whether it's a car swerving out of control, a heart attack, or a catastrophic slip on ice.
We try not to think about it too much, but it's unavoidable, and it's something we all
have to face.
At this age, I fear death because I still have a lot to fulfill in life. Before I die, I
want to be able to create good relationships with everyone I’m close to, I want to
travel around the world, I want to treat my loved ones, I want to accomplish
something that everybody will remember, and I want to live my life to the fullest.
Somehow I think that death is a challenge because it always reminds me not to waste
my time. Life is short and doing what makes me happy would be worth remembering
as I go on with my journey.
Even if there is no guarantee that I can achieve all of my goals in life, I can still
live an authentic life as a student, a friend, or a daughter. Not being obsessed with
looking young and avoiding gossip about other people’s lives is my way of living a
peaceful life. I realize that being kind and genuine is enough for you to be
remembered. I don’t need physical attractiveness and overflowing wealth and
property because all of it is just temporary. I don’t care about other people’s opinion
and I tend focus on my self-growth because pressuring myself to follow the standard
of people that surrounds me will only stress me out. And so, I learned to ignore their
judgment and became determined to achieve more self-improvements.
We all die and that is a fact. All deaths are sudden, no matter how gradual the
dying maybe. But as a religious person, I believe that there is an afterlife. For us
Catholics, death is not an end and this is one of the reasons why I gain more courage
to face death. None of us knows the day of our death. I sometimes think about what
will going to happen afterlife, but one thing is for sure, it will be a great adventure.
Nowadays, there are a lot of people who have depression. Those people who tend
to harm themselves aren’t scared of death. I felt sad that they had to experience this
difficult situation. Depression is one of the major risks of suicide. Some people tend
to end their lives because they want to end their struggles. Life is hard and it’s up to
you how you will handle it. Sadly, some people cannot carry the burden that life has
to give them. They are tired enough to look for solutions to their problems that’s why
they rather die, in hopes to experience peace.
Since we are experiencing a pandemic, there are a lot of people who were
affected by the virus. 2 years have passed and we have witnessed tons of dead bodies
around the world. Many people want to live but unfortunately, their bodies can’t fight
anymore. Death comes in our unexpected time and no one knows if this will be our
last day. Even at a young age, we already experience body pain and different health
issues. I admit in myself that I also abuse my health. I eat junk foods, I stay up late at
night, I barely get some rest, etc. I’m doing these things without knowing that I’m
already leading myself to death.
Moreover, some people died as a hero. We already know about the story of Jose
Rizal, Apolinario Mabini, and other people who sacrifice their lives for our country.
But this time, I want to give honor to our modern-day heroes. We have our front liners
in this time of pandemic who spend almost all their time at the hospital curing patients
who fight for their lives. Some doctors and nurses died because of their service. I’ve
seen a lot from the news that many front-liners get affected by the virus because of
their patients. For me, they are selfless people. They tend to prioritize other people’s
health rather than themselves. They don’t have enough time to rest because their job
is to secure other people’s lives. I think that before they took their job, they have
already accepted the fact that their lives are at risk. I think that they are prepared
enough to consider that death will once cross their path.
Furthermore, death is a fate from which no one can ever be free. Many
individuals are afraid of death, and I believe it is because of the actual occurrence of
death. Dying can involve a great deal of suffering and pain. Drowning, being burned
alive, and being strangled are all methods of death that cause me tremendous physical
anguish. I'm confident that anybody who has considered death has also considered
how their own life might end. I'm curious about how I'll leave this world, and I'm
asking myself questions like: will it hurt, or will it happen in my sleep? No one likes
to suffer, and the prospect of experiencing any kind of suffering before death is
terrifying.
Even if death is a mysterious entity, perhaps what people fear the most is dying
unprepared. They grow worried because there are so many things they want to
accomplish in their lives, so many things they haven't yet done. I believe this is when
their fear of death is deeply embedded in their psyche. For every one of us, it is an
insurmountable puzzle. However, I agree that death is not something to be afraid of. It
is pointless to waste one's life worrying about death when one may be living and
enjoying one's life. They may be drawn away from life by death. To put it another
way, people live their life to feel happy, in control, and deserving of something. When
people are preoccupied with death, their lives come to an end simply because they are
no longer alive. They lose interest in everything in their lives, and their fear of death
has taken over their way of life.
In conclusion, the only certain thing in life is that it has no certainty. Every
morning, we awoke unsure of what was ahead. We live each day to work for our
ambitions, dreams, and happiness, and we either feel fulfilled, hopeful, or hopeless at
the end of it. We all perish in the end. It's an unavoidable reality that we all face.
Although we don’t know when death will catch up to us, we know that it’s one of the
few things that you can count on in the world.