Dealing with death

Oct 27, 2019 Countryman, News

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By Dennis Nichols

For close to five decades our family house on South Road has remained sandwiched between two churches. We have become used to the sounds and voices which emanate from them – portentous sermons, glorious paeans; incomprehensible tongues. But it is the pained cry of a human soul grieving for human loss that most touches my own. And last Tuesday as it echoed from the Full Gospel Church next door, it turned my thoughts to the enigma we call death.
The funeral was that of the young soldier who died in that appalling crash two weeks ago, honoured by his comrades-in-arms, grieved by his loved ones. He and four others died violently. The end, one hopes, would have been mercifully swift. Crunching impact, wildly-spinning sensation, an implosion of consciousness – then what?
‘Spirit of death’ stalks our land. It prowls the earth, snatching its prey daily by the thousands in a hundred different ways. It is a spectre whose hollow call cannot be dismissed. It dwells with misfortune, disease, and circumstance. A few welcome, but most dread it, and all bow to it, regardless of age, character, or social prominence. In Guyana, as elsewhere, death is an unwelcome visitor.
But visitor it is, sudden; unsuspecting, and even when anticipated, a chilling reminder of our faltering humanness. Its impact is such that it sometimes chain-reacts to grieving loved ones. So, we offer solace and empathise with the bereaved. A sudden loss may be followed by indescribable emptiness that must be endured. Emotionally or otherwise, it may overwhelm the strongest among us.
Over the past two weeks, death came suddenly and violently to more than a dozen of our citizens. Those they left behind must be hurting somewhat bad, including the family members of both victims and perpetrators, in some instances. I extend condolences to all of them, and hope they have nurtured the strength necessary to deal with that kind of pain.
As I recall the horrific details of the East Bank Demerara accident, I think of whimsical chance, as an aunt is offered a ride, not knowing that death was just minutes away for her and her nephew. I think especially about the loved ones of the recently-wed couple who died with them, remembering the loss of my own parents in the space of one week while I was still a teenager.
We’re all acquainted with the apparent finality of death and its implications in a general sense, but I believe we should develop a more personal ‘philosophy of death’ at least as a coping mechanism for the lacerated soul. Religion may do it for those of great faith. But for others like me, who struggle with its mystique, it may help to look at the transition from a more balanced point-of-view.
Tens of millions of people die every year. You’d think that by now we would have come to terms with the passing of our loved ones, since, as a universal phenomenon, it’s the most unpredictable of all events, and should be accepted as such. Not so easy though, even as it appears that some of us now view death more positively, so much so that for many, it simply marks the transition to a higher plane, and funerals celebrate life rather than mourn death.
For countless others however, it’s not that straightforward, simply because they just don’t know what lies on the other side. As Shakespeare’s Prince Hamlet noted in contemplating murder/suicide, “… the dread of something after death … puzzles the will … thus conscience doth make cowards of us all.” Or, to paraphrase a proverb, ‘it may be better to stay with the misery you know than venture into that you know not.’
We don’t want to get it wrong at this crucial juncture. If we know for certain that the ‘higher-plane’ theory is right, or that there is nothing but oblivion on the other side, death by almost any means (including self-destruction) would appear to be an attractive option to life under unbearable stress. It is for some. But for most of us, it remains what it is – the antithesis of life in all its glorious, wretched, all-too-human ups and downs.
And there is no going back to relive the glories or redress the grievances of the past, except in the actions or the memories of those left behind.
A quote attributed to American statesman, Benjamin Franklin, reminds us that in life, ‘nothing is certain but death and taxes.’ It adds to the merit of developing a philosophy on the subject. It should centre around the idea of accepting the inevitable as far as our egos let us, not over thinking what happens in the so-called afterlife. Many already do that, and it hardly softens the blow. What then should we consider?
Both religion and science give us ideas as to how to view death. Greatly simplifying the subject, in Christianity your actions and choices on earth take you to either Heaven or Hell. (Catholics believe in an intermediate stage called Purgatory) Resurrection is also a part of the process, as it is in Judaism, which offers ‘other options.’ Hindus and Buddhists believe in reincarnation although the latter are said to not believe in the existence of souls.
What is noteworthy is that they all validate the concept of something happening after death. Science seems to be ambivalent on the issue; however, some scientific and medical research suggest there may indeed be ‘life’ after death, but not necessarily how it has long been perceived.
That’s because the idea that we human beings are non-material at our very core, is gaining traction. This is due in part to experiments in quantum physics, and phenomena like near-death experiences, which suggest that some part of us transcends this temporal existence; and that the universe and everything it holds, including human beings, is not composed of matter as we understand it, but energy.
Scientifically-speaking, since energy cannot be created or destroyed, then death is an illusion, and the essence of this energy, (spirit, light, breath of life) is just ‘repurposed’ in the universe and will ‘echo through time and space’ indefinitely. Some religions do tell us that the spirit of life simply goes back to the one who gave it in the first place – God.
As religion, science, and human experience offer their explanations of death, I delve into the mix and come up with a tentative philosophy – (a) Follow the ‘Golden Rule’. (b) We are formed from the elements of the earth – carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, etc. The life spark breathed into us at birth, returns to that which gave it, while our elemental bodies decompose and return to the earth. Celebrate life and accept death. Beyond that, nothing is known for sure. I may be off the mark here, but … that’s it!

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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