Our Ultimate Fate

Lesson 13
 Learning Competencies
Discuss philosophical views regarding death
and how it defines human existence
Discuss views on how a person should deal
with death
Explain how faith enables us to understand
death and the promise of salvation
Describe ways of dealing with loss and
provide examples
Evaluate own life and make a personal
commitment to make life more
meaningful
WHAT IS DEATH?
Death…

Death is the end of

all biological
functions that
sustain a living
organism.
Death…

In medical terms,
death of human
being is associated
with “brain death”
or the ceasing of all
brain functions.
?

Death…

Death may be caused by aging, disease,

and fatal injury.
 AGING or SENESCENCE

The natural occurrence of death and

as a person advances in age, the
certainty of death is seen in gradual
decline of the human body.
The characterization of senescence
includes the decline of senses such as
sight, hearing, gradual loss of vitality
and mobility, mental decline and
increase of frailty and susceptibility to
injury/disease.
 VIEWS OF AGING

Gradual mutations and defects in the

genes as body ages- leading to the
damage/loss of tissues in aging people.
Product of evolution- all the
characteristics that enabled humans to
successfully adapt, particularly the
capacity for reproduction early in life
were gained at a cost;
In other disciplines…

Death does not involve only the

deceased of an individual but also other
people and the community.
In psychology, the experience of death
is often associated with negative
emotions such as grief, anxiety, anger
and fear.
It can be also an opportunity for
people to recall and memorialize their
life and love ones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjFFEY8hf5w (WHY YOU SHOULDN’T FEAR DEATH)

OTHER BELIEFS
RELATED TO DEATH
 REINCARNATION

person’s spirit
begins a new life in
another body
ETERNAL OBLIVION

persons
consciousness is
completely erased
upon death
Death as influence by Culture
https://youtu.be/gR8zPWCGHEs
It is often seen in the tradition and
cultures done in bereavement, burial,
and remembrance of the dead.
All Souls Day, the Chinese Ghost
Festival, and the Mexican Day of the
Dead, are celebrated to commemorate
dead.
In Philippines…

Death is considered as an experience that

involve not only in the family but also in the
community. (wake)
Abuloy- voluntary contributions for the
family in defraying the cost of the funeral and
other needs.
Departed loved ones are treated with respect
and remembered through death anniversaries,
occasional visits to the cemetery, and religious
observances.
How does the prospect of death give
significance to our lives?
 What happens to the person when he dies?

DUALIST

believes that the

mind or spirit,
being incorporeal,
persists after the
body’s demise
 AFTERLIFE
The spirit of the dead
survives and continues to
persist.
Greek- imagine an
underworld where dead
are rewarded or punished
for their actions in the
afterlife
Hindu- believes that
dead go to one of many
paradises or hell
Christianity- righteous
enter heaven while sinners
go to hell
 NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE

people who were close to death

reported of an afterlife
out of body experience- person views
his or her body or the events
surrounding his or her apparent death
from distance
skeptics contend the near death
experience and have biological basis
through the visions and experience result
from oxygen deprivation
 ETERNAL OBLIVION

death totally extinguishes the

consciousness of the person

denies the existence of non-corporeal,

immortal aspect in man and considered
death as the end of a person’s existence
 MORTALITY SALIENCE

man’s awareness
of the inevitability
of death
 Philosophers have advocated
ACCEPTANCE as the means to
address feelings of dread or anxiety
regarding death.
 Whether there is afterlife or eternal
oblivion, the possibility of death
should not be feared – since it means
that the person is finally free from
misery.
 Martin Heidegger

man is being
oriented towards
death
the fulfillment of
existence, and the
acceptance of one’s
mortality can bring
a sense of freedom
of a person
Ludwig Wittgenstein

echoed the belief

of Heidegger but he
also added that
death is a
phenomenon that is
outside of human
experience
we do not live to
experience death
 Karl Jaspers

death is the most

significant “limit
situation”
One should have
the capacity to alter
his/her perspectives
and idea to be able
to live with the fact
that she/he is
destined to die
Erik Erikson
an important
aspect in the
development of
man
Ego integrity- a
person achieving
his/her life’s
purpose or having
to come to terms
with his or her life
HOW CAN FAITH HELP
US UNDERSTAND
DEATH?
 CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
 considers death in the context
of man’s spiritual nature. Death
entails the destruction of the
physical body, as man is created from
dust and in death, he returns
to dust (Genesis 3:19).
 However, man’s spirit goes on to
live in eternity. Man’s spirituality,
therefore, defines his existence as
it is the person’s ultimate destiny
to live on in eternity as a spirit
united with God.
 The THEISTIC VIEW
 defines the meaning of human life as part of
a larger plan devised by God.
 within God’s plan, all things in existence
have their purpose or value.
 The ultimate purpose of the person is to
know God and to be perfectly united with
Him. Death is but a part of God’s plan, and
the Bible speaks of the inevitability of death
as being bound with the promise of
salvation.
 The Scriptures assert that “it is appointed to
men to die once, and after that comes
judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
 The THEISTIC VIEW
 Jesus Christ Himself gives the promise that
those who believe in Him and live by God’s
commandments shall be rewarded with
eternal life.
 The Gospel of John proclaims the promise of
Christ:
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in Me will live even if he dies, and
everyone who lives and believes in Me will
never die” (John 11:25-26).
The belief in eternal life and salvation
transcends human wisdom and
rationality.

What lies beyond death is salvation and

eternal happiness with our Maker, and it
is through faith and repentance that one is
led to the acceptance of the truth of our
ultimate salvation.
 Reflection
a. How does our Christian faith explain
the purpose of death?

b. What lies beyond death, according to

the Christian perspective?

c. How should the promise of salvation

influence a person’s view of life?
 HOW SHOULD ONE
FACE DEATH AND LOSS?
 GRIEF

the natural reaction

to death and dying

could also be
brought by the other
forms of loss such as
home, belonging or
employment and other
traumatic experience
BEREAVEMENT

the state of loss

brought about by
death
 MOURNING

the process which

a person deal with
death
 observed in
various practices,
traditions and
culture.
 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
The Five Stages of Grief:

Denial- express disbelief regarding the situation or death

of a love one
Anger- expresses the frustration with the situation through
the people closest to them and often state “unfair” to the
situation
Bargaining- the dying person often voices his/her wish that
his/her life be prolonged and that she/he is willing to do
whatever it takes to survive
Depression- dying person experience intense sadness and
exhibits disinterest in life and normal routines
Acceptance- the person finally comes terms with his/her
impending death and has embraced his/her mortality
 George Bonnano
 Grief does not necessarily proceed with the conventional
stages.
 He considers humans as naturally resilient, and that grieving
should NOT necessarily be defined by sadness .
Four Trajectories of Grief:
RESILIENCE- person remains emotionally stable despite the
loss and continues his/her normal life.
RECOVERY- person experience a period of grief, but
eventually gives way to recovery and a return of normalcy/status
quo.
CHRONIC DEPRESSION- experience intense and chronic
depression and continues long after death or traumatic
experience has passed
DELAYED GRIEF- person may seem to be well-adjusted but
experience feeling of grief, anxiety and distress at a later time
 WRAP UP
 Death and grieving are difficult transitions in life but with
adequate support and the proper perspective, one can face
this important aspect of human existence with
ACCEPTANCE, CALM, and DIGNITY.

 The realization of the significance of DEATH in our lives can

give way to a new resolve to strive to achieve meaning and
relevance in our lives.
 Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it. It is
inevitable and uncontrollable part of reality as a human
being. Remember to live your life to the fullest and make a
remarkable mark to not only your life but also to other
people.
The end, goal, purpose (or meaning) of human life
is to live well. We do this by accumulating, over
the course of our lives, all the real goods that
correspond to our natural needs; and we increase
our chances of having good lives by cultivating
good habits. In addition, we also need good luck.
What are these real goods that we should all seek to obtain in order
to live well? According to Aristotle, they are:
1) bodily goods – health, vitality, vigor, and pleasure;
2) external goods – food, drink, shelter, clothing, and sleep; and
3) goods of the soul – knowledge, skill, love, friendship, aesthetic
enjoyment, self-esteem, and honor.
QUESTIONS?