One of the Greek philosophers – I think it was Epicurus – said:
“If I am, then death is not. If death is, then I am not. Why should I be scared of that which can only exist when I am not? Long-time men lay oppressed with slavish fear”.
This was said some 5000 years ago! And it is true 100%. Both I and my death cannot exist together. This is an impossibility. As long as I am alive and enjoying life, death is nowhere to be seen. It is not present. It does not exist. Yet we fear death! In other words, we fear of something that is not even there!
Similarly, when the death exists, I am not there. When I am gone and no more, the death makes an entry on the stage. It can only be present when I am absent. Why does it arrive on to the stage like a thief? A thief enters the house when there is no one at the home. Similarly, the death enters the scene after ensuring that I am absent! I wonder, if death has any guts at all!
There is a very famous Hindi film dialogue. This dialogue is a very powerful one (for Indians), and may seem meaningless for the people of other cultures: “Agar Ma Ka Doodh Piya Hai Toh Saamne Aoo” (If you drank your mother’s milk, then come out of your hiding”).
If the death drank its mother’s milk, then it must have an appearance before me. Otherwise, I will be forced to conclude that death is a coward. This is the challenge I give to death. Come on Death! I am waiting for your arrival. Do not come in my absence!
This hide-and-seek game of death is continuing from the beginning, and shall continue till eternity. I go to step further and challenge the very parentage of death: “Agar tum Apna baap ki aulaad hai toh Saame ne Aoo” (“If you are the son of your father, then come out of your hiding”). I am challenging death by stating if you are the real son of your father, then it must make an appearance before me. Otherwise, I will be forced to make my own conclusions about the parentage of Death.
In view of the above, how can I be scared of something that can never face me? In this case it is the death that is scared.
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional. What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
