Philisophical Picnic #2

As I sit here at my desk, I remember someone I knew that had a fear of heights, something hits me like smacking into concrete. It isn't the fear of being high that scares people, it is the fear of falling from that height. But wait! It isn't the fear of falling, but the fear of hitting the ground and dying.

The fear of death overrides almost all other fears because it is the underlying nature of all others. When people fear water, they don't fear the water itself but fear death by drowning. People are not afraid of flying in airplanes, they are afraid of crashing and dying.

This is what I think, although I can't speak for everyone. I had and still have many fears. I realize though, once I push out the fear of dying or similar end or pain, I can face almost any challenge. Maybe sometimes pushing this natural response away isn't wise. But one thing is for certain.

When you can stand in front of death and smile, everything else is insignificant.

Then again, if this statement was true, suicide would never exist. Maybe people fear many things more than death. "A fate worse than death." I guess this is true. But in LIFE, the end of life, DEATH, is the worst thing that can really happen. But maybe to the individual, humiliation, paralyzation, etc. is a fate worse than death. I guess this is true when a beautiful woman walks into a room and you suddenly are afraid to speak. It isn't death that grips you, but something else that you value greater than your own life. This in reflection is strange!