Communication And The Discussion Of Death

The discussion of death is a more difficult subject than most people care to approach in casual conversation, most due to the depth and range of attitudes concerning the topic. To begin with, death is a frightening thought to many because the great fear of the unknown can rarely be reasoned away with mere words. No individual truly knows what happens when we die, and the notion of having control of our own destinies stops at the moment of death. In fact, there may or may not be a continuation of our being, and that thought in itself can give rise to fearful anticipation of the inevitable.

In the best of circumstances, the communication in the discussion of death is strained, guarded, and only explored in depth with people we know and trust. To expose our true feelings on death is expose a piece of ourselves, and is not something most people would communicate within the parameters of a casual relationship. To discuss the topic of death with anyone at length is to present our personal view of the Universe, right or wrong. This can lead to disagreements on personal observations, our culture, or our personal thought processes in general.

Our collective ignorance as a species presents a barrier in the discussion of death, in that humans like to believe they are capable of overcoming any obstacle. While this is not true in totality, the subject of death is a painful reminder that there is one aspect of life that is inescapable, and over which we are powerless to impact. The time, place and circumstance of how we will die is not within our control, which places more anxiety upon the discussion of death. Any meaningful conversation of death includes mental imagery of our own demise, complete with pain, suffering, and emotional anguish. This reason alone is why many people chose to avoid the discussion of death.

Any discussion of death includes the religious and cultural values of the participants, whether conscious or unconscious. Because or personalities and thought processes are shaped by our cumulative life experiences, our views on death and dying are a reflection of ourselves. For a religious person of any faith who believes that death is their "final reward" for living a good life, death should not be feared if their faith is true. However, a religious person who is fearful of death appears as being hypocritical - a charlatan who instead of finding strength in their faith when it is needed most, discards it when faced with final judgment.

In the final analysis, perhaps our failure in communicating frequently in the discussion of death arises from our fears that our opinions are nonsense. Collectively, the human race has no first hand experience in death - only speculation from observing other people die.