Philosophical Reflection

At the beginning of the video, Hank Green asks the viewers, “What are you
afraid of?... What about death?” This question had me wondering. Yes, I used to be
afraid of death when I was young. But as I grew older, I was no longer scared
because I realized that we’re all going to die eventually and there’s nothing we can
do about it. Why should we fear the inevitable? Perhaps people fear it because the
horrors of the death cycle may be beyond our imagination. Or the concept of heaven
and hell is absolutely nerve-wracking. Philosophers such as Socrates, Epicurus,
Thomas Nagel, and Zhuangzi made great arguments about the perspectives on
death.

Personally, when it comes to death, the only thing I fear is the process of dying
― will it be long and painful? Who knows! But I wouldn’t come close to saying it’s a
constant fear or even something that crosses my mind frequently. Socrates explores
death from a philosophical standpoint and concludes that death should not be
dreaded by virtuous people. He states, “The fear of death is indeed the pretence of
wisdom, and not real wisdom, being a pretence of knowing the unknown.” Epicurus
also believes that death is both bleak and affirmative. Rather than being held
accountable for one’s actions during their lifetime, these actions fade upon death. I
agree with both of their points, that being alive is making us suffer and at the same
time, being alive is beautiful because each moment is worth cherishing. Thomas
Nagel’s argument, however, kinda reminds me of a quote by Mark Twain, “I do not
fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and
had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.” Nagel also mentioned that
some deaths might actually be positive or valuable. I totally agree with this,
especially when some individuals are experiencing long-term physical/mental health
problems. They perceive death as an effective treatment. According to another
philosopher, Zhuangzi, he believed that there’s no reason to fear the death of your
loved ones. Although I do agree with his arguments, I still find it painful to leave
those who are dearest to us.

After watching the video, learning the different perspectives from various
philosophers is definitely an eye-opener. After all, we all have a limited amount of
time in this world. Once we take that into consideration, then there shouldn't be any
reason to fear. Death is a natural part of life for everyone. And while we are still alive,
we must make the most out of every moment we have.

References
CrashCourse. (2016). Perspectives on Death: Crash Course Philosophy #17 [YouTube
Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjQwedC1WzI

A quote by Socrates. (2021). Goodreads.com.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7950457-for-this-fear-of-death-is-indeed-the-pretense-of
#:~:text=Quote%20by%20Socrates%3A%20%E2%80%9CFor%20this%20fear%20of%20de
ath,greatest%20evil%2C%20may%20not%20be%20the%20greatest%20good.

A quote by Mark Twain. (2021). Goodreads.com.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/25647-i-do-not-fear-death-i-had-been-dead-for