Why Fear Death?

I'd like to emphasize that this is mainly about the fear of death as in the fear of what happens after death (as that is what most people are actually scared of) not the fear of dying per sais (although I will touch that subject at the end but it'll be more of a side note than the main point).

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Death, a natural part of life, just as birth, happiness, sadness and everything else, but everyone is afraid of it as if it were who knows what. Yes, the sensations accompanying it may not be pleasant, but they are temporary and we have virtually no influence on them.

• Heaven and hell exist? I live a life that I consider to be good so if I go to heaven - great, and if I go to hell - I think I'd rather burn there than spend eternity with a god whose principles are so different from mine.

• Everything ends after death? It ceases to exist? Cool! Finally, some peace of mind, at least I'll get some sleep.

• A terrifying reality full of pain after death? I can't help it. There's nothing I can do to influence that. So why should I worry about it?

Overall, there are probably 4 categories: punishment and reward, the end of existence, some form of eternal existence without any sensations, some form of eternal existence with good/bad sensations.

Apart from the first option, we have no influence on what happens after death, so there is no point in worrying about it now, it's better to focus on making the most of the time we have. In the case of the first option, I believe that the most important thing is to live as you feel you should live, and someone else will take care of the rest.

Instead of worrying about what will happen afterwards, wasting your precious time, isn't it better to use it to help other people or even watch a movie that you really want to watch? After all, we may not be able to later...

Socrates / Platon put it best in my opinion:

For let me tell you, gentlemen, that to be afraid of death is only another form of thinking that one is wise when one is not. It is to think that one knows what one does not know. No one knows with regard to death whether it is not really the greatest blessing that can happen to a person, but people dread it as though it were the greatest evil, and this ignorance, which thinks that it knows what it does not, must surely be ignorance most culpable. (Apology 29a–b)

I have often noticed that some people… go to extraordinary lengths when they come up for trial [with a possible death sentence], which shows that they think it will be a dreadful thing to lose their lives — as though they would be immortal if you did not put them to death! (Apology 35a)

Now back to the fear of dying. I'd like to ask you a question: does overthinking all the horrible ways you might die help you in any way? Does it help you not die in those ways?

I don't think so. I doesn't help you escape that kind of death and if anything it makes you miserable. The only real way to influence the way you die is to commit suicide which is no small feat, actually it's really hard and - at least for me - admirable to take one's own life, to overcome all the programming that makes us want to live.

Also, something to think about: have you noticed that old people usually are not scared of death? Why do you think that is so? Is it just because they already lived a full life and are bored, or maybe there really isn't anything to be scared of?

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I'm interested in hearing your own opinions on the topic.