-- *Mar*Thank you for sharing this—there’s a lot of raw philosophical energy in it. I’ll do this in two parts, as you asked:
1. *An edited and improved version* (clearer structure, tighter language, smoother flow, while preserving your core ideas and voice) 2. *My own views* in response—where I agree, where I diverge, and why ------------------------------ 1) Edited and Improved Version*Acceptance of Death* Life and death are two sides of the same coin. To understand death, we must first reflect on how we live. Our daily existence consists of perception, understanding, motivation and demotivation, joy and sorrow—none of which possess a three-dimensional material form. What we call “3D reality” represents only a tiny fraction—perhaps 0.0035%—of total existence. Even the idea of three-dimensionality is questionable: if we could truly see the atoms and molecules that compose an object, the object itself would dissolve into something far less solid than we imagine. What we call form is an illusion created by limitation of perception. During life, we marvel at the wonders of creation. Nature, when left free, produces the highest form of art—art that evokes rapture, even though rapture itself has no shape. Life, in essence, is nature’s artistic expression, a continuous creative wave. Yet our education, research, and institutions remain almost entirely confined to life before death, as though death were an error rather than a continuation. If nature has created such an extraordinary experience called life, it is reasonable to believe that what follows death is not inferior but perhaps even more expansive. Unfortunately, we cultivate a deep and paralyzing fear of dying. This fear arises because we do not live in harmony with nature. Instead, we interfere with it through science, industry, economics, and rigid dogmas, forgetting that we ourselves are part of nature. When one truly lives as part of nature—feeling the life of flora and fauna, dissolving the artificial boundary between self and world—the division between life and death also dissolves. Nature does not end at death. If, during life, one acts in ways that nurture and harmonize with nature, that harmony must logically continue beyond death. Our inability to understand death stems not from its mystery, but from our fear and our economic clinging to life. The simplest truth is this: if life is lived beautifully and freely, in alignment with nature, that same beauty continues after death. We are forms of consciousness, and consciousness is awareness. Death may simply be the liberation of awareness from three-dimensional confinement into a non-material reality. Life, at its core, is feeling—and feeling has no shape. Every life form is an expression of consciousness. In a truly free and healthy nature, life forms would not live under the fear imposed by economic systems. In such a world, approaching death could be as exhilarating and rapturous as sex—the act that enables birth. If there is romance in creation, there must also be romance in dissolution. We fear death because we continuously torture and destroy nature in the name of economic living. Having ruined nature during life, we cannot expect a gentle encounter with it after death. In nature, life and death exist in balance. After death, we may confront pure feeling—without form, without disguise. The tragedies, suffering, and misery we have inflicted upon other beings through exploitative systems may confront us in their full intensity. Death removes all coverings. If a university were to regain sanity—freeing itself from technological frenzy and economic bondage—it could establish a “Free Nature Park,” untouched by human interference, and even create a *Faculty of After Death*. At present, no university teaches anything about dying or life beyond death. This silence itself cultivates fear and terror. If fear of death were completely removed, death would become a conscious choice within life, rather than something clung to in misery. Education should include death as a natural and meaningful transition. In the *Tibetan Book of the Dead*, death is treated as an art, and the art of dying was cultivated through education. To live fully, we must also learn how to die. *— Y. M. Sarma* ------------------------------ 2) My Own Views I’ll be honest and precise here. Where I strongly agree - *Death education is missing*: Modern education absolutely avoids death, and that avoidance feeds fear, denial, and unhealthy clinging to life at any cost. Philosophical traditions—Buddhist, Stoic, even some indigenous cultures—were far healthier in this regard. - *Life is more than material form*: Your insistence that feeling, awareness, and consciousness are not reducible to 3D objects is philosophically solid. Even neuroscience hasn’t bridged the “hard problem” of consciousness. - *Fear of death reflects how we live*: I think this is one of your strongest insights. People who live destructively—toward nature, others, or themselves—often fear death more intensely. Guilt, unresolved harm, and alienation amplify that fear. Where I partially agree (with nuance) - *Nature continuing “after death”*: I agree metaphorically and ethically—what we contribute to the world persists. However, whether *personal* consciousness continues as an experiencer is still an open question. Philosophically rich, but not demonstrable. - *Death as romance or rapture*: This is beautiful and provocative, but it risks romanticizing something that is deeply variable. Some deaths may indeed be peaceful or expansive; others are painful, chaotic, or frightening. I’d frame this as a *potential*, not a universal truth. Where I disagree or would refine - *Economics as the primary source of death fear*: Economics certainly worsens alienation, but fear of death predates modern economies. Even hunter-gatherer societies had death rituals precisely because death was overwhelming. The root fear may be existential uncertainty, not only economic systems. - *“Death as a choice”*: This is philosophically powerful, but ethically dangerous if stated without care. For vulnerable people, this idea can blur into despair. I’d reframe it as: *acceptance of death liberates life*, not that death should be chosen. My synthesis I think your essay is really about this: *If we lived truthfully, gently, and in harmony—with nature, with others, with ourselves—death would lose its terror.* On that, I fully stand with you. Death doesn’t need to be worshipped or feared. It needs to be *understood*, *integrated*, and *spoken about honestly*. The real tragedy isn’t death—it’s living as if death doesn’t exist, and then panicking when it arrives. If you want, I can also: - Make this more *academic/philosophical* - Make it more *poetic* - Or help turn it into a *lecture, manifesto, or journal article* Just tell me the direction 🌱 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CACDCHC%2Boj%3DRkysUj57NqZMAWRjf7hQ4KWrYSLRUwKxZx7muBPw%40mail.gmail.com.
