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by Sienna
Death. This word provokes more fear across the globe than any other word. Dying is something that all humans have to deal with eventually, even before their own deaths. People around us die and leave us to fill in the holes of the community after they are gone. As cave dwellers, did we ponder what it meant when our companions quit moving and breathing? Did we understand that this meant that they were "gone" -- no longer existing as we knew it? Were the feelings of grief, sorrow and hollowness with us even then?
The recent tragedies of our nation have shown me that everyone reacts to death in a different manner. We have seen everything from grief, sorrow and relief to insult and vengeance come to the forefront. Some people, especially in the mainstream, think that dying is the absolute worst thing that could happen to any living being and therefore decide that keeping others from dying is the best possible thing they can do with their lives. These people should be commended for their efforts when those attempts follow the will of those whose lives they save. Some people think that dying puts them on a different plane of existence and welcome death with open arms. These people should also be commended when they do not inflict this belief on others who do not share their opinion.
However, when you ask most pagans, "What is your greatest fear?" very few of them say, "Death." Mostly, when I ask that question, I get things like "Not accomplishing my goals before I die," or "Dying in prolonged agony," or "Dying alone." But death, itself, is not the fear. There are so many different pagan beliefs out there that it's hard to pinpoint why pagans do not typically fear death, but mostly it stems from the fact that we really don't know what is on the other side of dying. For most pagans, not knowing what happens after death does not lead to large flights of fancy and inventions such as Heaven or Hell.
Many pagan beliefs include ideas about reincarnation -- your behavior in this lifetime will decide your form for the next lifetime. This is a very comforting thought to those who are born with handicaps or in unpleasant situations. Some pagan beliefs include ideas of an afterlife, a Summerland, a place of rest and relaxation. I have yet to find, however, a pagan who believes in a place of punishment and retribution after death. This idea of punishment, which is supposed to keep one's behavior moderated during life, simply adds to the fear of death in the mainstream.
You've heard of people who call themselves "pro-life?" I consider myself "pro-death." I believe in assisted suicide, abortion and the death penalty (if and when there are no mistakes in the court system). This shocks a lot of people, even pagans, because it goes against the very grain of their paradigms. But the ideas of life and death are all programmed concepts that many of us have not reconsidered. I invite you to rethink those paradigms right now.
Here in America, we are taught from a very early age that life is good and death is bad, and we carry this attitude with us no matter what our belief system is. We think it is a good thing when our best friends get pregnant and a bad thing when they die. Pagans who believe in reincarnation still put the brakes on when it comes to suicide and other forms of willfully checking out. So to you, the reading public, I ask one question, something for you to ponder.
Why is life better than death?
Let's look at this issue in another light.
Say, for example, you are a child in the womb, not yet born, but nine months along. The womb is safe, secure, warm and pleasant. What is outside is still a mystery, and you are probably somewhat reluctant to go see what there is out there. What would happen if you did everything that you could to not go into the next phase of growth? What would become of your safe, secure little home if you never left it, but continued to grow? Of course, you would destroy your environment and (unknowingly?) kill a mother who loves you.
Life on this planet is like life in the womb. There are 6.2 billion of us to fit into this safe, secure, pleasant environment. What would happen if we never left? What would happen if we did everything we could to not go on to the next phase of growth? We would destroy our environment, for sure, and maybe (unknowingly?) kill the mother who loves us.
Helping others to fulfill their purpose is truly commendable. But what happens when that purpose is fulfilled and the person is ready to leave this part of the play? Who are we to say when that is? If the death is an accident, who is to say that this is not the way the script was written for that person? If the death is due to someone else's actions, who is to say that the murderer was not at the right place and right time to set events off? Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler both changed history because they caused deaths. Would we be living in the same environment if they had not done what they did? Many of us would not be here if Hitler had not rampaged through Europe. I know my parents would have never met.
This opinion is not popular, and perhaps I will get a few nasty comments thrown at this publication or at me. What I'm asking is for you, the reading pagan public, to consider death just another step in our growth, another way out of the paradox of too little room in the womb called Earth. I'm not advocating that you check out before your purpose is complete, but that you allow others to do so when it is their time, and realize that if they go before their time we have no business trying to untangle the strands of their fates.
With a philosophy of "Harm none, do as ye will," we must recognize that our idea of harm may conflict with someone else's idea of will. This, of course, would be harmful. Keep this in mind when the thoughts of vengeance for victims cross your mind. Peace comes from inside of us, and coming to terms with the deaths of others is the only way to find peace at this time.