THE INEXORABLE PRESENCE OF DEATH

Although around 147,000 people die every day in the world[1], we don’t get used to death. From time to time, we are terrorized by news of natural disasters, air accident, and barbarities of wars. But soon we forget everything and come back to life as if it did not exist. The Christian philosopher Karl Jaspers, writing about it, said: "... living, we do not really believe in death, although it is the greatest of all certainties"[2].

Why do we act like this? Because what we most desire, in this world, is to live. What we most want is "to be" and the idea of dying printed by death affects us. The notion of existence that we have, however, is restricted to life between the boundaries: birth and death. We have no recollection of our birth, for, according to Jasper, "whoever recognizes himself existing has the impression that he has always existed." Similarly we do not know what there is after death. Thus the inexorable pressure of death upon us makes us think about the reason for existence. What is the meaning of life if we were born to die?

It occurs, however, that death, according to the Scriptures, was not to exist in mankind. God created man in a state of perfection in his image. The human being was created for an eternal existence. This condition, however, depended on his use of his freedom, another aspect of his resemblance to the Creator. Notice the divine guidance to Adam: "...you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die" (Genesis 2:17).

That order was a limit to human freedom. A point that showed that mankind owes obedience to its Creator. But the desire for an autonomous life under its own guidance led man to eat the forbidden fruit. He would only die if he ate. It is not a divine whim, since man was created for a life of communion with God. To contradict Him meant to act at odds with his nature. The Bible calls it sin. With the act, however, his essence was altered and he no longer endured the divine presence that nourished his life. Then death came upon him.

The Apostle Paul said, " therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and this way death came to all people, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). Today, humankind lives steeped in pain, suffering and the dread of death. Nevertheless, it feeds the vision from a radically secular perspective that reduces divine existence to mere myth and spiritual life to godly fiction. However, even with all knowledge and care, man can’t add "a single hour to your life" (Luke 12.25).

Antônio Maia – M.Div.

Copyright

[1] Statistics of the United Nations

[2] Extracted from Introdução ao Pensamento Filosófico, Ed Cultrix, 2011