It seems it is human nature to simplify the complex, to bring all of the complicated and confusing happenings we come across, whether by way of our own living, or through the lives of others, into the realm of understanding. There is a tendency and a desire to make sense of elements in our experiences, and this process of making sense is not boundless, but restricted to what we already know. We can make any idea fit seemingly logically with our understanding of the world and how it works. I don’t think it’s surprising then that through our desire to understand all aspects of life, we have created a definition for what no one should be capable of explaining while still living – death.
Martin Heidegger believes there are no claims to be made …show more content…
Although I think it is dishonest to say that the idea of another person’s death trumps in importance the death of oneself, I have always viewed death as just death, the end of life, and non-individualized. I learned a lot from Heidegger about the way in which I should look at my own death. However, I also found his analysis to be selfish and something I do believe many humans can allow themselves to feel. He claims we must not fear our death but feel freed by the knowledge that it is a mystery. Heidegger’s account cuts off all our relations, relations that are important to us as humans, and devalues the deaths of others. Yes, the death of another cannot be representative of what my own death will be like, but that does not lessen its importance to my being. I cannot allow myself to feel entirely freed by the knowledge that my death will be unlike anyone else’s because I am not an individual in a vacuum, and my own desires and feelings are not my sole concern in life. I have family and friends by whom my death would be felt and whose deaths I would likewise feel strongly. As such, I cannot say that I am freed by Heidegger’s concept of death because it cannot grant me complete freedom, but simply the freedom from the fear of my own
Martin Heidegger believes there are no claims to be made …show more content…
Although I think it is dishonest to say that the idea of another person’s death trumps in importance the death of oneself, I have always viewed death as just death, the end of life, and non-individualized. I learned a lot from Heidegger about the way in which I should look at my own death. However, I also found his analysis to be selfish and something I do believe many humans can allow themselves to feel. He claims we must not fear our death but feel freed by the knowledge that it is a mystery. Heidegger’s account cuts off all our relations, relations that are important to us as humans, and devalues the deaths of others. Yes, the death of another cannot be representative of what my own death will be like, but that does not lessen its importance to my being. I cannot allow myself to feel entirely freed by the knowledge that my death will be unlike anyone else’s because I am not an individual in a vacuum, and my own desires and feelings are not my sole concern in life. I have family and friends by whom my death would be felt and whose deaths I would likewise feel strongly. As such, I cannot say that I am freed by Heidegger’s concept of death because it cannot grant me complete freedom, but simply the freedom from the fear of my own